The Monster in the Room
by TheLastPilot
Summary: Nino had been human once, but the fact that such a simple sentiment became past tense terrified him. He thought the world was normal, simple, and sane, but he was wrong. However even in his lowest moment he is offered a hand and extended an invitation to Paris' most unusual school, fit only for the weird and wicked.
1. Chapter 1

_It had been the wrong place, yes… but more than anything? It had been the wrong time. Oh god, it had been the wrong time…_

 _It was around midnight when Nino quietly slipped out of the house, stepping lightly over the worn brick that made up his family's entryway and watching the windows carefully. He took a few steps more with that same sort of care, waiting for any sign that the lights of the house were about to flicker on and he'd be scolded back into his room, but no one saw. He smiled to himself as he left, reaching up to firmly fit his headphones over his hat as he set out._

 _It was stupid, sneaking out. There was no real cause to he just got antsy. Logically he understood it wasn't safe to be out at night but he lived in a peaceful neighborhood where the tree line of the forest reached out and the people were kind. Sometimes… he just wanted the freedom to be alone. He loved his family, but there were few things better than an hour uninterrupted. So in the silence of midnight on September 16_ _th_ _, Nino went for a walk._

 _Nothing was supposed to happen. Maybe nothing would have. If when he was presented with a fork in the road he had chosen to head into the dimly lit safety of the town perhaps he'd okay. If he had stopped at the corner and turned around perhaps then too. But instead, without any passing thought, he turned to the right, absentmindedly strolling through a dark path in the forest he had grown up in._

 _He had paid it no thought in the moment, there had been no reason. In daylight he could have recognized any curve in the path, but in the light cast by the full moon looming overhead every shadow was unfamiliar. He had walked bravely for a while, but soon he found himself pulling down his headphones, suddenly so painfully aware of the trees and shadows around him. He had stopped short, reaching down to silence his music so he could listen, turning slowly on the spot._

 _"Hello?" he called out, nervously settling his headphones on his shoulders. He waited, looking around as his voice rattled hollowly through the trees. It sounded thin, so he swallowed and called out again, the sound fuller now but still receiving no answer._

 _It was probably the atmosphere that made him so uneasy, just the looming trees and hard shadows but…_

 _He turned again, his shoes on the stone riddled path the loudest thing for miles._

 _He attempted to speak, to bravely call out and demand to be answered… but on some silent, primal level his body begged him to be quiet. He could feel sweat on his palms and a taut rigid breathlessness in his chest that he couldn't explain, his throat running dry and his mind suddenly screaming. He didn't understand; there had been no noise, no rustle of a bush no howl in the distance. There had been nothing… so why did he feel such a deep instinctual need to hide?_

 _And why did he know, with every part of his soul, that there was no way he could?_

"Nino, we need to go soon."

 _The memory from there was indistinct, scattered and buried somewhere in darkness he would never look through. There were only two things he remembered, burned so clearly and potently that they were as deeply memorized as his name._

 _The first was pain._

 _The second, was its intention._

 _It was so deliberate… it was cruel. It could have killed him, but it chose not to. It lunged from darkness and overtook him instantly, throwing him with all the force of a truck as it sank its teeth into his shoulder. The fangs sank through him, tearing through the muscle and dragging him from the ground as it pulled him back, biting deeper. He was screaming, the pain of its claws cutting through his legs irrelevant to the pain of its teeth._

"Nino?"

 _He had been so afraid, shaking with shock and horror as it released him and let him fall to the ground. The pain was blinding, the one hand he could still move fumbling to clutch at the gushing flow of blood. It stuck to his hands, soaking into his shirt and turning the dirt path to mud, and it could have killed him._

 _It should have killed him. But it didn't._

 _What he looked up and saw had been something that chose to do this too him. Its eyes were too aware, too intelligent to conceal its intent. It wasn't a mindless animal compelled forward by irrefutable laws of nature… it was watching, looking down on something weak and crying and wondering what it could be. What it could_ _ **make**_ _it be._

 _It was a wolf, towering above him at a size completely unnatural, matching the misplaced intelligence of its eyes. It was powerful, monstrous, and watching him closely, its head tilting as he desperately crawled away._

 _It had stood a moment more, deep green eyes with its unsettling flecks of gold assessing him smoothly, before slowly… it turned. And left him there to bleed._

* * *

"Nino!" his mother's voice suddenly cut through, her son jolting roughly as he looked to her in sudden fear.

Nino looked into the face of his mother, his heart pounding as he fought to re-center himself, his shaking hand curling into a fist.

He could see how startled she looked, staring at him in concern and worry. It was so clear that he was falling apart, his right hand self-consciously reaching towards his left shoulder. His fingers met a bandage, wrapped thickly around the shoulder and leading into the cast of his arm, but perhaps more concerning than that was how he looked. He knew he was sweating, shaking weakly as he waited on his next appointment. But there was no point in them, none of them had answers.

"Are you in pain?" his mother asked wretchedly, her eyes tortured as her hands hovered uselessly. He could see the flash of panic when he retreated, pressing his back to his bedroom wall.

"I- I'm-," he tried to speak, desperately trying to stop and relax. He was home, he was alright. His parents were here, it was okay.

He swallowed, grinding his teeth as he forced himself to be still, taking an extra moment before he answered, "I'm fine momma. I'm good."

"Don't try and be brave!" she snapped crossly, her irritation coming from a place of worry, he knew that. "We're going to get new medication… it's going to be fine honey; they say there's no infection. I-," she stopped.

Mrs. Lahiffe looked over her son, her words dying in her throat as she tried to tell him nothing was wrong. The doctors said nothing was wrong, they said he shouldn't be sick. It was just a dog bite, something they could clean and stitch.

Her sixteen-year-old son stood so near her but seemed so far away, his back pressed to the wall as if he was waiting for something else to find him. He was pale and weak, eyes sunken and dark from weeks of nightmares. His hand clutched at his shoulder, obsessing over it in a way he didn't with the long healing scars on his legs.

His mother was quiet, her hands clasping in front of her as they found nothing else they could do. Nino was recovering from whatever thought has possessed him, her son bravely forcing a smile as he attempted to justify himself.

"Sorry," he said gently, laughing a little unsteadily. "Was just thinking about it."

"It's been weeks honey…"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, it's just-," he swallowed, looking away from her before continuing. "I'll get over it."

His mother pursed her lips, unconvinced as she always was when he tried to brush it off. There were times where he succeeded, able to go right back to laughing like some waking nightmare hadn't seized him but other times… he still looked shaken.

"Seriously momma," he spoke again, smiling now though it looked hollow. "I'm alright, we should get going."

She was about to speak when she heard the tell-tale jangling of a collar announcing another member of the house, and as always these days she went rigid, watching as her son tracked the noise to the door.

"Hey Carter," Nino greeted the German Shepherd kindly, kneeling to pet his dog as it decided it needed affection. Nino's smile was a little warmer now as his dog stuck his cold nose against his neck in an attempt to hug him. When he finally looked up he noticed for what felt like the hundredth time how uncomfortable his mother looked when Carter was around, and for the hundredth time he reassured her. "Mom just because I got bit by something doesn't mean Carter is dangerous. I'm not scared of Carter okay? What bit me wasn't anything like him."

"I know honey I just…" she paused, looking down at the family dog as it stood next to Nino's bandaged shoulder. Neither the dog nor her son looked uncomfortable by the proximity, and it confused her.

"I just… expected you to be a little more cautious of dogs. You don't react to them at all, I'm just trying to make sure nothing frightens you."

"I'm not scared of dogs," Nino answered, his voice somewhat stiff now as he looked away again, roughing up the fur around his dog's collar with his good hand. When he spoke again it was quieter still, and distant. "No dog is like the thing that bit me."

Carter whined now, looking to his boy with worried eyes that sometimes seemed so empathetic but Nino shook his head, standing before his mother could say something else.

"We're gonna be late," he said matter-of-factly, making it clear he was over discussing it. His dog reached up to nudge his free hand, uncharacteristically needy ever since Nino had stumbled home almost a month ago. The family's German Shepard had silently decided it was a one-person dog then, and was with Nino almost every second he was home.

The Shepherd looked at him expectantly, it's tail wagging when Nino sighed and spoke again. "Can we bring Carter? He'll get pissy if he doesn't get to go with me."

His mother looked at them both before laughing breathily, shaking her head as she dug for her keys in her pocket. "Yes alright, but bring his leash. He can wait in the lobby with me."

Nino reached down to pat his dog on the head, gesturing for it to follow him as he stepped out of his room and into the rest of the house. It took him a second to find the old leather leash but when he did he snatched it quickly from the counter, jogging to the front door with Carter at his heels.

* * *

"…the new medications can help with the pain itself but there seems to be inflammation around the bite itself which is… unexpected," Nino's doctor droned, his patient sufficiently zoned out pretty much ever since he stepped through the door. It was only when the visit suddenly became interactive that Nino was forced to look up.

"You're saying it's been irritated correct? How long has that been happening?" The doctor asked patiently, wearing the same expression every other doctor had when visited by him. It was the 'I have no idea what this is but don't want to say it' look.

"Past few days," Nino answered dully, hardly committed to putting in effort if nothing would come from it.

"Can you elaborate?"

Nino ground his teeth together to keep a groan from slipping out, focusing his gaze directly ahead on the medical white paint and different worn attachments found on every doctor's office wall.

"It itches," he said plainly, his temper getting worse the longer he was kept there. "It's hot and I feel sick. I feel like I'm going to puke whenever I turn my head too fast and I get these migraines that nothing helps with. My whole body aches it isn't just my shoulder anymore, it started a few days ago but it keeps getting worse."

"It's possible that the bite lowered your body's tolerance to outside viruses, it's working so hard to heal the tissue-,"

"It _is_ the bite," Nino suddenly snapped, zeroing in on his doctor and was slightly surprised to see the grown man flinch. He wasn't sure what his expression must have looked like to get that reaction, but at this point he didn't really care. No one was listening to him.

"The bite itself isn't infected-," the doctor tried again but Nino interrupted him again, his tone that much darker.

"It _is_ an infection, why is no one listening to me!? Just say you don't know what it is! _I'm_ the one who's dealing with it, I know me being sick has something to do with it, I have _never_ felt like this before."

The doctor was gawking at him, floundering for something to say but Nino just groaned, reaching out to grab the new prescription for pain medication that wouldn't do jack from the counter near him. If yet another overpaid pharmacist was going to tell him nothing was wrong, then he wasn't going to wait around.

The sudden lurching movement made his stomach churn but he ignored it as he started to leave, not even focused enough to tell if the doctor was trying to talk to him still. He really doubted he was saying anything of use anyways.

Nino stormed into the hallway, painfully aware of the sweat that had broken out over his forehead. That same pulsing ache he felt through his limbs was still there, and he could swear it was worse now, even worse than it had been that morning. He wasn't usually this agitated, normally he'd never shout at someone like that but-

He was panicking. He was freaked out and no one could tell him anything.

He swallowed back his nausea and kept walking, ignoring anyone who spoke to him and working his way steadily through the office until he was back at the lobby, wondering what in the world he looked like when his mom caught sight of him.

"Nino?" she asked instantly, standing with Carter's leash gripped firmly in her fist. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Fine," he muttered, turning to zero in on the front door. He could see the parking lot outside and the street that lay beyond it. It was overcast outside, the lighting of everything muted but still a hundred times more inviting than the office was.

His mother was saying something but he headed towards the door, wanting to at least have the fresh air as he tried to make up some excuse as to why he looked like hell. He knew she was following when he felt Carter bump up against his legs, whining and demanding his attention as he stepped outside.

The cold air of October hit him like a wall, chilling the sweat and providing instant relief, small though it was. He actually sighed as he paced to the end of the cement, letting the tips of his feet hover over the asphalt of the parking lot.

"Did they at least prescribe something new? You should have let me in with you…," his mother was saying, and with what peace of mind the fresh air could give him Nino turned to answer.

"Yeah, new pain killers but nothing else. He said something about my old ones uh… don't think they can be uh, mixed or something."

"You weren't listening?" his mother sighed in frustration, and he had been about to make an excuse when he felt something solid and furry push past his legs.

Nino glanced down when he heard a low, violent growl build up, his mother jolting as Carter suddenly pulled her forward, his entire body rigid.

"Carter!" his mother called out in shock, attempting to drag him back but the dog wasn't having it, every fiber of it's being on high alert as its vicious growls grew louder. Its feet were splayed, its posture defensive and teeth bared in a clear show of aggression.

"Hey!" Nino shouted at him, attempting to track where he was looking. "Carter what the hell! Bad d-," he stopped.

Nino was aware of his mother's voice as she attempted to pull the dog away, but the words themselves failed to reach him as he caught sight of someone standing a fair distance away. She didn't look like anyone, just another person standing idly in the business district just like him, but she was the only one nearby. She was the only person that Carter could have so suddenly been agitated by; no one else was around, and she was looking directly at him.

The woman herself seemed unfazed by the dog that was now straining against its owner, barking incessantly as it was dragged towards the car. In fact, she seemed sorta… endeared, but her focus was on Nino.

When her gaze shifted back from the dog and towards the boy her expression shifted, minutely so but he could see something change despite the distance between them.

Nino watched her for a second, his body turning to follow his mother but he kept his eyes on her, and just when he was going to look away… he saw her gesture.

It was a small movement, subtle and easy to miss, but as he watched her she lifted one hand and beckoned him towards her.

He froze, the sound of his dog's now desperate barking a short distance behind him as he turned to face her completely, confused and wondering if he had been seeing things. But after a moment, there it was again. A clear and quiet indication that she wanted him to come over.

"Nino!" his mother was calling for him over the sound of frenzied barking, but he ignored her, admittedly intrigued. His mother shouted for him again, asking him to help her but he didn't respond, and with a huff of irritation she just assumed he couldn't hear her and continued to wrestle the German Shepard away.

Nino hesitated, looking once more to his mother before finally he started to walk, guarded as he closed the distance. She didn't move towards him or away, she just stood there waiting for him.

As Nino got closer he could see her more clearly, a little surprised to find her younger than he expected. She was a young adult, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two and seemingly fit from what he could see. She had a gray tank top on that showed her to be thin and showed tone arms but her legs were concealed with baggy black sweats. Her hair was choppy and short, sticking out and admittedly a bit disheveled, and her black rimmed glasses were scratched. However, the thing that threw him the most was how weary she looked. As he approached he could more clearly see her expression, her face gaunt and eyes sunken from fatigue. When he finally came within speaking distance of her he realized she wasn't looking at him, not exactly.

She was looking at his arm.

"Can I help you?" he asked after a moment, his irritation with the doctor fading in the face of someone who looked just about as bad off as he was. He stopped a few feet from her, noticing now that she was a foot shorter than him.

She was quiet for a moment, staring still at his arm in a sling before she spoke without looking away from it, saying, "Yeah. Or, well… I've got something to say to you at least."

He didn't respond, he wasn't exactly sure what he could even say and was regretting coming over at all. This woman looked sick, and intense. Something about her made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"You got bit by uh… something. Yeah?"

She said the words hesitantly, looking up at him and meeting his eyes for the first time as if hoping he'd deny it, but whatever he might have said fell from his mind the second they made eye contact.

Her eyes were a deep green, dark and guilty. A few scattered flecks of gold were dotted throughout the iris and in that moment he felt… he didn't know the words.

Terrified, disbelieving. Furious and unsure. Frozen to the spot.

"Hey…" she said quietly, not entirely sure what to say in that moment but her expression suddenly determined, looking away as if to grant him some kind of distance. "Listen, alright I know you're freaked out. Just listen to me okay?"

"Who the hell are you?" he said tensely, his throat thick and his chest tight. He watched her intensely but she did not meet his eyes again.

"Don't stay home tonight," she said quickly instead of answering, taking a step away. "I don't give a crap what your mom or that doctor says, this isn't something that gets fixed with bed rest. It doesn't get fixed ever but…" she paused, taking another step away. Her eyes were fixed on nothing at all, distant and… just as afraid. "It gets better. Sort of…"

"What are you talking about?" he shot back aggressively, advancing on her but she took another step away to compensate. She looked ready to run. His free hand was in a fist.

"Don't stay home," she repeated, the words earnest and pleading. "You love them? You want them alive? Go out into the woods, go as far as you can run before the sun goes down. No matter how much pain you're in keep running, just do that okay? I'm trying to help you."

"What-!?" he started to say again, getting angry but she was backing up faster now, turning away.

"I warned you!" she shouted at him, glancing once more over her shoulder. "I've done my part, I tried to atone. I- I-," she stopped, still for only a moment more before she looked towards the forest and back towards his arm. "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry, but nothing can change now. Just take that advice. Don't stay home tonight, don't tell anyone where you're going. Just go and disappear. It's what's safest for everyone now."

"Who the hell are you!?" he shouted again, and though he didn't yet notice, he was shaking. Her eyes were stuck in his head, that same primal sense of horror stuck in his chest and making him feel like he was suffocating. His shoulder ached and his voice cracked as he spoke again. "You can't just spew _crap_ and expect me to take you at your word. Who are you!?"

She stopped. And without looking she spoke quietly, so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"I'm the monster in your nightmares kid. Just run… just run and don't look back."


	2. Chapter 2

Nino was quiet once they got back home. His mother was chattering irritably about buying Carter a muzzle on the drive home, the Shepherd having been agitated and aggressive all the way up until they finally pulled out from the parking lot. Even now he was on high alert, pacing back and forth across the floor of Nino's room and whining periodically.

Nino sat in silence on the edge of his bed, his sling cradling his injured arm to him as he stared at the carpeted floor. He didn't move or snap at his dog to be quiet, keeping his door locked as he numbly rolled a bottle of painkillers in his right hand.

What did she mean… how could she possibly have been…?

Nino listened to the small white pills slide and rattle against each other in the thick orange plastic bottle. He rubbed his thumb across the edge of the label, trying to feel the difference between the paper and the slick surface of the plastic. His heart still hammered unevenly, seemingly overworked though he couldn't be more still, and he bit back a whimper as he was forced to close his eyes, the pain of his headache surging and making him bow his head.

Nino swallowed, something about his spit hot and tasting like rust. Blood maybe. He didn't check.

What did she mean? Who was she? Who was she really, because she _couldn't_ be… he didn't even want to admit it, the insane association his mind had made. Part of him was refusing to acknowledge the implication of her words or the intent behind her warning, because to _admit_ what he was thinking was…

It was insane. It was stupid, _impossible_.

It was her eyes. Her eyes were **the same**. Too close, too exact… it couldn't just be similar. Part of him knew that as fact, in the face of everything that made him unsure. It was her… somehow. The monster in the forest… somehow…

Nino seized suddenly, the muscles throughout his body contracting in a wave of pain that shot through him, knocking the breath from him and causing the pill bottle to clatter to the ground. His chest heaved uselessly, his body curling in on itself as he made near silent gasping wretches before it eased, the pain clearing as quickly as it had come.

As soon as he was released he gasped, shuddering violently as he clutched to the sheets and attempted to focus. He slowly became aware again of the smaller sensations, like the chilling, slick coating of sweat over his arms, and the desperate high whines of his dog as it leapt onto the bed.

Carter circled him, whining again and again as it searched for something it could do, becoming even more agitated as it found nothing. Nino's breathing stabilized but his dog remained panicked, about to start barking when Nino suddenly shushed it.

"Q-quiet Carter, shh," Nino begged quietly. He had… just _no_ idea what to do. But he knew his parents couldn't find him like this. Not when something was this wrong, not when he might be… just…

He shuddered again, but this time the sensation was unattached to any pain.

An infection doctors couldn't trace, a monster no one had ever so much as seen, a woman with desperate, guilty eyes.

He was terrified, he admitted it. No one had any answers, except a woman who should have been a stranger, and might have been a monster.

Nino looked behind him, taking in the fading burnt oranges of the sunset flickering between the breaks in the cloud cover and feeling something akin to the hollow drop of a pin in an empty room deep inside his chest.

He shouldn't trust her; why should he listen? There was something wrong… there was something so desperately wrong and he was terrified, he wanted to call out to his mother and have her answer, he wanted her to come and have an explanation that made it go away. There was that childish and entirely human part of him that wanted to cry and be told there were no monsters in the shadows.

But there was that part of him too, that realized there might be.

With shaking legs Nino slowly stood, ignoring the swirl of nausea that arrived with the simple motion. He was aware distantly of Carter nudging his right hand, asking for a response, and after a moment Nino pat him softly on the head as he walked towards the door.

"Good dog," he muttered, reaching out with an unsteady hand and unlocking his door with a click.

He left, his steps deliberate and labored as he stepped off the brick of his entry way and onto the flat cement of the path leading to the street. He had closed the door behind him careful not to make a single noise, but he could hear the rally of barks from Carter who was left inside. He had left his mother making dinner, made his way silently past his father watching T.V. They didn't see him go, Carter's now distant barking the only indication anything was wrong.

He stepped from the sidewalk to the street, flinching as the streetlamps turned on and announced the imminence of nightfall. With some difficulty he looked to the sky again, noting the last wisps of the fire in the sky and held onto them as he looked forward again.

In front of his house, stood shaking in the middle of the street, Nino looked out into the forest. Though some light of day remained it was dark, tall reaching trees separating the abode of people and what creatures skipped the leaves. At no other point in his life had Nino feared the forest; only now with the puckered healing scars scattered across his legs and imbedded in his shoulder did it make him hesitate.

It took another spasm for him to move again, the first step an uneven stumble as he fought off the ringing in his ears.

' _Get as far as you can.'_

Is this what she had meant?

Slowly Nino began to walk again, crossing the street and standing on the threshold of the forest where he intended to forge on without a path. It took the burn of his shoulder for him to cross it, and the ache of his spine to continue. Every spike of pain marked another step, his weak and shaking legs struggling to snap the twigs underfoot, his one free fumbling hand nearly incapable of sweeping back the brush.

The forest wall closed behind him, snapping up the visage of a quiet street and swallowing any light that might have guided him. He couldn't see the sunset anymore, the loss of the day sending panic through him. He tried to speed up, steps coming quicker now even as his breathing became shallow.

What was happening? Why? W-what-

He swallowed, trying to force the building of bile he could sense squirming up his throat back into his stomach. He broke into an unsteady run, his vision a senseless blur of trees and stones.

The next spasm left him no choice, he fell against a tree and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground. He could barely see it, his eyes swimming with stinging tears now and fading the image into a twisted show of dark congealing liquid. He could briefly see his hand bracing himself against the rough bark of the tree, its tendons clear against his skin as they strained.

He gasped, heaving again though nothing came, clenching his teeth and attempting to look at himself, looking again to his hand in confusion. The muscles stood out on his arm, tense and shaking as he spasmed again.

He wasn't far enough. He had to keep moving, but why?

 _Why?_

 ** _What's happening?_**

The next wave of pain made him scream.

It was violent and blinding, something horrifying and white hot ripping through him, originating from his shoulder and pulsing out through his limbs, staggering him and causing him to nearly collapse. Even as it initially faded he still screamed, attempting to grind his teeth together and force the sound into an agonized groan.

As soon as he could trust himself to release the tension in his jaw he was panting, sweat pouring off his face as he shook violently.

What's happening, what was- why… I- h-he.

He needed to keep going. As far as he could go. As long as he could stand it.

He swung his weight forward, stepping heavily and swaying as he did, threatening to pitch over. He stepped again, and again, pushing himself forward and through the next ring of trees. The muscles in his legs screamed and contracted, but he kept going, even as he felt like he couldn't breathe at all, even as his skull felt like it strained against the skin. It threatened to tear him open, splinter him, but he didn't know what. And he was afraid…

Oh god he was afraid.

 _'Momma?'_

He pushed through the next grove, blindly stumbling through a creek. The waters failed to chill him, heat crawling through his skin.

' _Yes sweetheart? What's wrong?'_

A bush of thorns tore at his arms but he didn't feel it, its nettles catching on the sling so he tore it off.

 _'Momma… don't laugh okay? You won't laugh right? You promise?'_

 _His mother chuckled despite his simple request, watching her young son pout from his place on his bed. He looked so small sat in the center of it, clutching his comforter in a wad against his stomach._

 _'Alright Nino,' she laughed again, sobering herself dramatically to prove herself to him. 'I won't laugh, I promise.'_

His left arm dangled weakly, reaching out and pushing with whatever strength I possessed. Anything so he could keep moving. Anything would be enough.

 _Nino seemed satisfied with his mother's expression, the little boy beckoning her forward with one hand and clutching to his blankets with the other. He didn't like how his mother's mouth twitched into a smile, but he didn't know who else to ask._

 _He let her come up to his bed, scooting a little as she sat down. Her weight on the mattress tilted him towards her, his lump of blankets keeping him from pitching into her lap._

 _She looked at him expectantly but he looked away, suddenly unsure but her voice was kind as she encouraged him._

 _'What's wrong little one? What has you so afraid?'_

 _The little boy shot his head up, expression indignant as he protested._

 _'I am not scared!'_

 _'Then why are we here?' she challenged him, so smoothly that he was stumped with how to reply, so instead he screwed up his face, muttering into his blanket wall as if to substitute some suitable retort._

 _'Is it the dark?' his mother asked sweetly, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Her hand was warm and comforting, and he slowly shook his head._

 _'No,' he replied, rocking a little in place._

He burst through another wall of bushes but the ground was uneven and he lost his footing, sprawling to the ground.

' _Is it the noises?' she asked, looking around her. 'This old house creaks sometimes darling, there is nothing to fear.'_

 _'No,' he said again, shaking his head._

 _'Then what darling? What's made you afraid?'_

 _He hesitated, drawing strength from her presence._

 _'Momma,' he finally asked, 'Are monsters real?'_

In the forest, Nino tried to stand. His arms shook and couldn't support him, and though he tried he could go no further. He crouched on the ground on all fours, head bowed as another horrid wave of pain racked through him. His chest heaved and his weak arm faltered, forcing him to his elbows as he curled to the earth.

His breathing came heavily, panting now in a desperate battle for air. Just when he could get his lungs full there would be something else, something crippling and all-encompassing that reduced him to screams again.

This wasn't a sickness. Sickness didn't do this. S-Sickness didn't… _move_.

A scraping, broken scream tore out of him when it felt as if his bones snapped and shifted, subsiding for a moment before moving again, curling within him and… r-reorganizing. Changing.

Nino fell to his side, sobbing in the moments between the cracks as he desperately called out; seeking in that moment not help, but answers.

He wanted a voice to tell him that it wasn't real, that it was a fever induced hallucination, that his medication was wrong or something else he could explain away. As his spine splintered in and his neck strained to push him out and away in a way his body could no longer respond, he wanted to hear a laugh so sweet and quiet… that it made nightmares seem silly.

As his breathing finally cleared in deep, animalistic huffs and his heart beat fast enough to put a thunderstorm to shame, he cried.

In the last moments as the sight of a full moon shining cruelly through the canopy dominated every part of him, dragging him into a nothingness he could never comprehend, he begged to hear her say it again.

He begged for this to be a nightmare, and for his mother to laugh and smile…

And tell him monsters weren't real.


	3. Chapter 3

His breathing was slow and steady, dragging in smells that grew more potent as he became more aware. Sensations slowly returned and his mind gradually processed information as it came to him, tied together and confusing him.

He was cold along one side of his body, damp dirt pressed into one side of his face and flooding his nostrils with what was quickly becoming an overpowering earthy smell, thick with the remnants of rainwater and rotting leaves. He continued to breathe evenly, dragging himself out of paralyzing darkness and blindly stretching one of his hands. It responded, though weakly, and he could feel the subtlety of dirt shifting through his fingers.

After a moment Nino opened his eyes, wincing at light that aggravated his pulsing headache. But the headache faded, allowing him to peer blearily at his surroundings.

His glasses were gone, he noticed immediately, but it didn't keep him from seeing at least the basics of his surroundings.

He was lying on the ground, sprawled out on his side with his back to the trunk of a tree. The forest's canopy was thick overhead, letting broken early morning sunlight filter through the leaves. He wasn't home, he was coming to from something that felt like a drugged sleep completely on his own in the woods.

His confusion forced him more awake, the boy pushing out to try and sit up when he noticed for the first time that he was covered, a thick blanket thrown over him.

Nino grasped at the blanket, confusion settling even thicker as he lifted it, jolting himself completely awake now as he realized he was naked.

Nino sat up with a start, yelping in surprise as he gripped the blanket more tightly against him. He hurried to cover himself, his heart racing despite the fact that logically no one was nearby. With the final dredges of sleep thrown from him his breathing spiked, panic settling in as he kicked his way to lean against the rough bark of the tree.

What the hell? What the **_hell_** _?_

Where was he? Nino looked around him, swallowing against the uncomfortable dryness of his throat, fighting to assess a hundred things at once.

Nino sat on the floor of the forest, clutching a blanket around his dirt caked body that shook from sudden panic. A gentle wind he was shielded from glided through the trees, rustling their leaves but otherwise leaving the forest in silence. As far as he could tell, he was in no part of the forest he recognized, tucked out of sight in a thickly tree ringed clearing. The high natural grass gave way to dark earth around the bases of the trees, and the bushes and creeping plants on the far side were bent and pushed aside. As if something huge had forced its way through and made no exit.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest, his hands twisted into fists around the fabric of the blanket as he tried desperately to think.

How did he get here? Where even was he?

Nino swallowed, bowing his head and trying to pull forth some memories, some kind of explanation. The last thing he remembered clearly… he-

He had been running.

Nino's eyes snapped open, a chill sweeping through him as the blind run through nightfall came rushing back to him. He remembered that.

He had been in so much pain, panicking and falling to the ground. He had tried to keep running, but he couldn't. Something had been… h-he…

Bones moving, s-skin crawling. His spine… shifted, pulling him into something else. He screamed but it hadn't been him, the sound was so twisted a-and… deep.

So much bigger then he should have been, every muscle split and sewn together in places they shouldn't have been. His face was so heavy and the forest had been so suddenly _alive_ , pulling something out of him that _shouldn't have been there._ He wanted to believe it had been something else, something alien but it wasn't. It was _him_. And it consumed him.

Nino sat there, shaking in horror as he remembered something, something distant and overpowering like a nightmare. And as it rang out and through him he fought not to scream.

He remembered the last few seconds, as the pain reached its height. Everything was _wrong_ , torn apart and misplaced and sewn together and **_wrong_** **.** He remembered the panting, so low and… primal, that the memory of it now sat in him and told him it was real. It wasn't just a nightmare, the moments before he fell into nothingness, the moments where he begged to nothing and no one heard.

It was real.

"What-," he managed aloud, his voice shaking and breaking as he looked around him. So far from home.

He didn't try to stop from crying now, the images before he lost everything so horrifying that he couldn't… he couldn't expect himself to just hold them in. He was just a kid, shaking with fear as he wretchedly whispered, "What am I…" A sob shook through him and he curled into himself, holding onto the blanket as if it was all he had. "What am I… help me, some-somebody please. Please. What's happening, I don't know whats-," his voice broke into sobs, calling out to no one. He was overcome by how in that moment, he was utterly alone. And he knew that he should be. He shouldn't be near anyone; he didn't even k-know what-

What he was.

He wasn't sure how long he cried, he had no way to tell. He had nothing, his phone had gotten lost somewhere along the way. His clothes had likely been destroyed he was lucky he even had the blanket…

It was then for the first time that he started attempting to consider where it had even come from. He had no memory of what had happened after he had- well… after. It was just darkness. However, if he had nothing then… why was he covered?

He sat up, his chest feeling hollow and his emotions numbed from exhaustion. He felt like he was underwater, completely distant now. It was likely his brains feeble attempt to protect him, cutting him off from the emotions that would destroy him should he continue. As he sat there now he felt nothing, utterly numb.

One mystery at a time…

He clung to the blanket in more ways than one, latching onto why it was there in an effort to distract himself from much bigger uncertainties. Instead he reassessed his surroundings, at least as far as he could see.

His eye sight really was awful… though in that moment it seemed better than it ever had been unaided in the past. He didn't stop to consider why, or why his shoulder no longer hurt or why, despite the aches, he felt… better. Better than the hot overpowering sickness from before at least, like it had just been building to what had happened then released once it took place, left to build until it happened again.

He shuddered at that, and stopped considering it completely. Survive the now… survive this first.

He looked around him as best he could, scanning the uniform darkness of the dirt in a dim hope of finding his glasses or anything else of his. And in a bewildered spike of relief, he found almost exactly that.

A short distance from where he had been lying was a neatly folded pile of clothes, with a pair of glasses left on top.

Nino moved the blanket so he could go to them, crawling forward and grabbing them up almost desperately, but stopped short when he realized they weren't his. None of it was. As he held the clothes close enough to see he didn't recognize any of them, all of them a size too large and bound to be baggy. The glasses were very similar but not his, the prescription off as soon as he put them on but… they were better than nothing.

He was naked in the woods… he'd take anything at this point.

Nino moved to get dressed, sifting through the pile to find a pair of boxers and starting from there, quickly pulling on worn old cargo shorts and a plain dark gray tank top. He was a little confused at the last thing, a sleeveless dark green jacket but he put it on anyways, grateful to have something, ineffective though it might be, to protect him from the chill.

If he had been confused as to the origin of the blanket he was now completely thrown by the presence of the clothing, clearly intended for him and left folded nearby.

It was safe to assume whoever had left the blanket left the clothes but…

Nino stood, his knees shaking as he struggled to pull himself together, feeling significantly better for being clothed but still unsteady.

There were no shoes left for him, his size probably too difficult to guess. He turned in a slow circle, trying to force himself to adjust to the mismatched prescription.

He could more clearly see the clearing he was in now, stepping away from the loamy earth of the trees and walking through the grass, looking up through the small break in the canopy and seeing snatches of a heavily clouded morning. When he looked back down to earth he tried to ignore the huge, subtle path through the grass. Leading directly to where he had been resting.

Nino took a weak, shaking breath, clinging to the numbness because he knew it was the only alternative to panic and fear.

With another unsteady breath he moved to settle his hands in the pockets of his jacket, mind reeling with thoughts of what to do next when his right hand collided with something.

Paper.

Nino quickly grabbed it, pulling out the smoothly folded pieces of notebook paper that had been left there. He felt his nerves squirm with nervous energy, sudden contact in a moment where he had expected none. His throat tightened when he unfolded it, finding it crammed with handwriting. It was a note, and it was addressed to him, in a way.

 _To the boy with the bite,_

 _I'm sorry._

Nino swallowed, hands shaking slightly as he held the note, seeing it had so much to say but almost afraid to read it. But he had nothing else. This was the only thing that could perhaps tell him something. A note from whoever had known to bring him clothes, was likely to be someone who had known what would happen. And there had only been one person who seemed to know more about it then he did.

 _Figured I'd say it again, though there isn't much point. You won't forgive me, and you shouldn't. You'll hate me I get that. I hate the guy who did this to me, it's only fair that you hate me too. I understand it. No hard feelings. On my end, anyways._

 _I had wished so badly to have something when I first woke up, alone and naked with a lot of lost time can screw with you. And the change can be fairly traumatic too, obviously. I wanted to help, in what little ways I still could, so I thought a note and some clothes might be something. Not a lot but, something._

 _You're a werewolf now. Figured it would be best for you to just say it flat. Read the word a hundred times it's not changing anytime soon. I'm sure you'll think to yourself, 'werewolves aren't real' and I get that. I thought that too. However, you strike me as a smart kid, and I know I'll never forget the first time I changed so it's safe to assume you won't either. You know what happened. It scares the crap out of you but you saw it. You know I'm right._

 _There is a lot of horse crap about what we are and some stuff that's true, a lot of which you'll figure out as you go. Full moon=true, biting people to also make them werewolves, unfortunately, also true. I've never encountered wolfsbane so I don't know if that's true but to be safe just stay away from it._

 _Monsters are real kid, and they're everywhere. Not all of them are bad, some are though. Some are dangerous, and unfortunately a lot of them don't like us. They think we're dangerous, wildcards of the supernatural world, which is a bunch of crap. On every other night we're just us, but some people are prejudice. As a rule, if there is a myth, legend, or rumor among humans that it exists it probably does. Almost none of it is like how they say it is but at least most of them get the basics right._

 _You are what you are now, but we don't have to be monsters. I want to believe that, and I want to believe in you. You don't have to be the cursed animal we're supposed to be, a ruthless hunter. I don't know what I am… but I think you can be okay. I want to believe that. Maybe that's why I'm trying so hard to help you, or maybe I'm just guilty._

 _I didn't want to, for what it's worth. As it goes on sometimes you can kind of… wake up, during the moon. When I came too you were already pinned… I'm sorry. It was all I could do not to kill you. This isn't the best alternative but… you can make a life. You can be okay._

 _Even with that said though… you shouldn't go home. At least at first. For the first few months it's so new and your body is struggling to adjust. You aren't human anymore and they are, and I know how much that sucks. Seriously I'm the only other person around who does know what that's like, so even if you hate my guts at least take that. It's not safe. To even stay with them during the month and leave when the moon is full it's just… things are different now. Things in the dark know you're there. Monsters have a feel for when other monsters are around, and you could bring stuff towards you just by being there. You might be able to defend yourself but there is no guarantee you can defend them. It's safest to let them go._

 _Sorry if this is hard to read. I'm writing this while the sun is dropping. I need to go soon but I wanted to have stuff prepped for you. I don't know if any of this will fit but at least it's something._

 _You're young. You can live with this man; it doesn't have to destroy you. There are things out there, resources. It's scary and insane but you can be alright. Don't be the monster we're meant to be. I've made mistakes, I've fallen into this and I don't really see a way out. I lose more and more time, at this point I think I'm more of an animal then a person. It's my own fault, it isn't just the full moon that can make us a wolf. You can bring it about on its own, if you aren't careful. It's different, you don't lose control quite the same way but… It makes you feel so strong, I got addicted. I spent so much time on four legs instead of two that so often it became hard to remember anything about being human. I didn't want that, and I know I could have stopped it if I had been stronger. So I'm trying to give you the leg up I didn't have._

 _There are other monsters, and a fair chunk of them are good guys. You might not have your family anymore but don't let that mean you're on your own. Find people, find someone to keep with you to stabilize you. Being alone is the worst thing you can do for your sanity, but keeping company with humans isn't safe anymore._

 _This isn't the only realm, there are others. The world of humans is just one, though I don't think you'll be able to pass through any gates on your own for a while. I know that doesn't make sense but it's hard to explain. So I tried to do you one last favor. I'm hoping I actually get you this note in time, the first one is the worst and it takes the longest to come back from, so I think I'll be able to find you before you wake up but I'll write this out anyways._

 _I've heard rumors of a school in Paris, a place for little monster kids to learn stuff about themselves and the realms they can go to. I know it sounds stupid and like the plot of a Disney channel movie but just, go. Do it, don't be macho just go. It will save you kid, I'm serious. I would have done anything to have a place with answers when this happened to me._

 _I told them about you a week or two ago. I didn't know your name or really even what you looked like, I was still looking for you through town at the time. Searching for someone based off of who has a dog bite is hard. But still, I told them a new werewolf was going to be popping up somewhere in that area. They are keeping an eye out for you and will find you, but to make it easier, go to Paris. Like I said monsters can find other monsters, they'll find you._

 _Don't run, don't be scared. They aren't human but neither are you, they are there to help you. Listen to them, I know what you want more than anything right now is someone to tell you what to do so just_ _go to Paris_ _. Don't go home, don't even stop by, just leave. It hurts and it sucks and its wrong but it's the way it is now._

 _I'm sorry I ruined your old life. But maybe you can make a new one._

 _I probably won't ever see you again, and if I do you might try to kill me, which I get. I know it means nothing but I can't help but say it._

 _I'm sorry._

 _Go to Paris._

The letter wasn't signed, cutting off quickly with the handwriting getting more and more chaotic as it went, until the end was almost unreadable. She must have been cutting it close, spending the last few moments attempting to leave something for him.

He stood there, holding the letter in his hands as they shook. He was so numb, but his body still reacted.

The words of the note crashed down on him, sounding so completely insane but the only thing that was making sense. How could he be expected just to… just to **read** that he wasn't even **_human_** and just **cope.** How could he be expected to believe it… He had begged for answers, and this is what he had. A letter from the woman who had ruined his life, ripped everything from him and attempted to replace it with clothes and an apology. As if it could make up for what she was, what she had made **him**.

He knew it was true, and it ate at him. He fell to his knees and succumbed to it as his wall of numbness shattered, leaving rage and fear.

He could remember, dimly, tied up in the last few moments before he lost it all. Huge claws, the heaviness of a m-muzzle. A monster. A wolf. The images his brain couldn't process, the truth of what happened and how it couldn't be true twisted together and suffocating him.

Werewolf.

 _Werewolf._

 **MONSTER.**

He screamed, ripping the pages apart and clutching them in his fists as he fell forward to lean on them. He was accosted with the memories of the pain, of the wolf who found him and tore him down, of the confusion and rage and _fear_.

It couldn't be real, it couldn't be, and it was. It was, it was all around him.

He could feel the things in him he couldn't explain, the awareness and strength he didn't understand. How everything was so vivid and close, how his teeth felt sharp when he grinded them against each other. The more he let his emotions consume him the stronger it got, and in a moment of horror he felt almost a ghost of the same pain that could snap his arms and make him something that shouldn't be real.

He felt something in his chest tighten, his breathing suddenly ragged and taut as he was faced with what he was. A monster, _a monster,_ _ **an animal**_ _._ And as it consumed him, his body fought to make it fact.

He felt that same clutching horror, that same internal need to make him what he knew he was even as he felt the heat of sunlight on his back. He could feel it, just below the surface, the bow of his spine, the curve of his neck.

 _You can bring it about on its own, if you aren't careful._

The warning hit him, sweat coating his face as he started to pant, desperately trying to force it away. She had said it, in her letter. If he wasn't careful… if he wasn't controlled.

Nino struggled to stand, finding the motion stiff and uncomfortable and forced himself to straighten up. Even as he trembled he stood tall, willing himself to hold himself together. He was so aware of everything, of the smells and the sounds, of the forest, of what he was. As he focused on it it became harder to hold himself up, his body curving tightly and trying to force him to the ground. The disease that sat in him now wanted him to be right, wanted what he felt he was to be fact. She had warned him.

"I'm not an animal," Nino chanted to himself wretchedly, desperate now as the shaking grew worse. Sweat beaded on his skin as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, holding himself together. "I'm not, I'm a person. I'm Nino, I'm a person, I'm okay. I am not an animal; I am not a monster. I'm not, I'm not, oh god I'm not."

In a way it was begging, but he focused on it completely. Nino blocked out everything, screwing his eyes shut and flooding his mind with memories of home. Of his mother and father, of his dog, of his house. He thought of his bed and his things and his music, of school work and video games. He didn't think of the sharpness of his teeth, he didn't think of the scar on his shoulder. He didn't think of the letter or anything else, he just thought of home. And though it made him sad, though it hurt and burned to know he could never go back there he remembered what it meant to be human. And as it became his fact again, the shaking stopped.

He was panting still, exhausted as chilling sweat clung to him. He swallowed thickly, shaking his head and attempting to clear his thoughts.

After a few, terrifying moments, Nino nervously ran his tongue over his teeth. He found them flat, smooth and straight as they were meant to be. He ran a hand under his jacket and shirt, feeling along the orientation of his spine and laughing a nervous, breathy laugh as he found all as it should be.

"Got to be careful…" he muttered to himself, hands still shaking a little as they fell to his sides. "Have to be careful…"

He still felt as if he knew nothing, stood alone in the forest faced with what had changed. But there were still the things that were clear, or as clear as they could be.

The woman who had done this had tried to atone, telling him what she could. He was a werewolf, as horrifying and bizarre as it felt to admit it to himself, but what had just transpired only proved it. If he succumbed to the instincts, to the animal… that's exactly what he'd be. He had come so close; it had been right there.

He was alone, and his moment of weakness just proved it. He couldn't go home; it wasn't safe for them. It was dangerous… he was dangerous. He couldn't go home. And if the woman's warning had been true… then maybe everything else was true too.

Nino swallowed back fear, grasping blindly at the numbness inside of him that he needed to survive and started to walk. He had no direction, he didn't know where he was, he just needed to get out to the road.

What he would do… how he would eat or where he would sleep h-he… he didn't know.

But he needed to go to Paris. It was the only place that had answers now. With the letter torn and scattered in the grass the only direction he had left was the city, and whoever would find him once he was there.

Nino buried everything, locking away every thought and emotion as he paced barefoot through the forest. In that single, silent moment, he left them behind. His mother, his father… his home. He strode forward knowing he couldn't see them again, and in the silence of the forest…

He left them behind.


	4. Chapter 4

"Officer _please_ you don't understand, I know my son he wouldn't-,"

"Mam," the gruff, thickly built police officer answered, sounding compassionate yet firm. "I know you're concerned, you have every right to be, but we can't report him missing until he's been gone for-,"

"He's sick!" she shouted at him, her hands shaking as she held out the roughly clutched pill bottles for him and his partner to see. "He's sick and he's in pain, he wouldn't just _leave_ unless something was horribly wrong. Something happened and he _needs_ me. Please, please help me look for him he's sick I- I know my son." Her voice wavered, and the worried mother held back tears as she said, "I know my boy, he wouldn't just **leave**. He needs me."

The two police officers stood in the open doorway looked to each other, obviously upset with the way they were being forced to handle this. This mother had been calling ever since morning, having spent the previous night looking for her son. The leading officer looked down, rough, callused hands holding a picture of the missing boy the mother had given them.

He was a kind looking kid, grinning happily in the photo and sporting a bright red baseball cap as he hugged his dog for the camera. In the picture the dog was only a puppy, and the officer couldn't help but look past the panicking woman to that very same dog pacing anxiously in the living room now.

The German Shepherd was clearly agitated, constantly in motion with its fur on end. It looked up at the adults every time they spoke, clearly aware that something was wrong though it couldn't possibly understand what. It was only a dog.

The mother was still talking, rambling desperately in an attempt to persuade them. They all kept talking, the men speaking in placating tones as the mother only became more and more upset. They would talk and talk, meaningless talking, but Carter looked up every time they said the name he was so attuned to.

'Nino-,' then more words, senseless noise, desperate pleading, then again. 'Nino-,' more words.

Carter paced and paced, waiting for something to happen. He was waiting for his boy to come home but only adults came, foul smelling men and occasionally the father, dirty and exhausted and only stopping to talk to the mother before leaving again. The father was acting, looking for their boy, these stupid men did nothing, they just talked and talked. Carter needed to find him, the sick boy. His boy. He was in pain, he was afraid, and he was gone. His boy _needed_ him, and these adults did nothing.

Carter kept pacing, a growl building in his chest until they heard them say something plain as day, a word he understood clearly.

'No.'

Carter looked up, watching as the mother began to weep and the men looked on with firm, pained expressions. They had said no, the mother was begging and they said no. It didn't matter if they clearly wanted to help, they still said no. They stood to talk and talk, and do nothing. His boy was gone with monsters in the woods and men did nothing.

So he did.

The police officers had been attempting to console her, promising to put the word out as soon as they were allowed to, making as many promises as they could. Neither of them had been expecting the dog to suddenly face them, crouching with teeth barred as it charged. With all its body weight the dog toppled the leading officer, leaping off his chest and barreling through the legs of the second and out into the street.

"Carter!" the mother shouted, the officers sprawled out on the floor and groaning in pain but Carter didn't stop for them. He stood in the street, head high as he turned to regard the woman who had brought him home.

The Mother looked on, her face weary from panic and tears. Her hands were clutching the pill bottles to her chest and her eyes were fixed on him as he looked back at her.

Carter had never understood people or the things they said, at least not most things, but he always knew what they felt. And though she was so surprised and agitated and she called out to him, she didn't want him to stop. She knew what he was doing, and she wanted him to go.

It had never been a spoken command, and it never needed to be. What she said to him now made sense to him, and he would follow it through.

'Find him.'

Carter watched her for a moment more, feeling sadness for leaving her when she was so alone, but it was Nino who she needed. And if he could, he'd bring him home. And if he couldn't? Well, then he wouldn't be alone, and he knew the mother needed that too.

The dog ignored the indignant calls of the men as they finally stood, and he ignored too the car that honked at him irritably to move from his place in the street. He focused on what he knew and bent his head to the asphalt, finding the scent he was looking for.

As soon as he had it Carter left the little home on the street behind without a second thought, fixated on his task as he broke the tree line and entered the forest. His paws dug into the earth as he bound forward, nose working furiously now. He stopped briefly, tail starting to wag as he realized how clear the scent was still. Wow if Nino had left this much of a trail in all likely hood he would stink something awful when he found him. How much had he been sweating? He was ill, sick people sweat sometimes Carter believed, though he didn't really know. Hardly mattered, it helped him so it was a good thing.

The dog held the scent firmly in his mind as he broke into a sprint, enjoying the sensation of running unhindered though his task was important. He couldn't help but feel joy, he was finally acting. He was going to find his boy and no leash or fat, foul smelling man could stop him.

Though he didn't need them to know where Nino had gone, Carter could see the impressions of hurried footsteps in the earth. Some of the tacks were deep and gouged, as if Nino had been stumbling and dragging his feet. The bushes were bent and raindrops knocked clear from the path the boy had taken, going on and on in more or less a straight line. Carter sped up, excited now as he hunted him down.

The dog was forced to stop now and again, checking where it led and feeling slight unease when he stopped in front of a particularly horrid smelling mess on the ground. It was dark and horrific, the smell so strong that Carter sneezed and backed away. He had smelled vomit once before when the father of the house had been sick and it set Carter on edge, but he turned away from it and refocused on the path.

For a long while it was effortless to follow, but the tracks sunk into the dirt became more and more sporadic and Carter was getting anxious. Why had Nino been alone? He was sick, he was hurting and desperate. Why did he leave him behind? Why did he leave home?

Carter had been beside himself just before Nino left, his boy in more pain then the mother and father really knew. Something was wrong, very wrong, and some part of Nino had been changing. He could feel it, and smell it too, even now as he followed him into the woods that sharp shifting part of his smell became stronger and stronger. It was something clawing its way through him, and Carter had been able to do nothing.

The adults didn't understand, and neither did he completely… but his boy was alone. That was something Carter could fix, if nothing else.

The dog loyally forged on, ignoring the intricate web of scents the forests offered and following Nino's trail single mindedly. At the pace he was going he knew he could cover what a stumbling human could in a third of the time, but Nino's path kept going deeper and deeper into the woods. Why had he gone so far from home? Why hadn't he taken him?

Carter had been dutifully following the scent when he was hit with a wall of it all at once, the shepherd skidding to a stop and looking around the small space in confusion. It was so complicated right here, so many things mixed together and thick with that same smell of his boy but… different.

Carter waited in that space, trying to understand it as he lowered his nose to the earth, and went stiff as he noticed the deeply cut marks in the ground. He backed up, looking at the dimly lit little area and felt an anxious whine escape him.

The ground here… it was clawed, deeply. The creature responsible had been _huge_ , a confusing, overlapping series of footprints and paw prints cut through by the gouges in the dirt.

The marks on the ground told of chaos and confusion… his boy walking in, and something huge walking out.

Carter's tail curled between his legs, the dog whining as it looked at the scene. The smells were violent and convoluted, but didn't tell of a beast attacking his boy. There was no blood, and no body. Nino had walked away from this; he had just been…

Different.

It was confusing, but Carter trusted his nose. As he found the courage to pad forward and follow the trail out he recognized the scent. It was fuller, wilder, but it was him. It was that different part of his smell, the part that had been growing and growing for the past while. It was fully realized now, but it was still Nino, he knew that for a fact. His boy might be different but he would know him when he found him, he had faith in that.

It didn't make sense to him… it was confusing but many things were, and he still had a job to do. He was going to find Nino, regardless of what had happened he was still his boy. So he stopped waiting around.

Now with the altered scent to follow and the change in the tracks Carter set off again, finding the path practically cut for him. The animal- no, his boy, he'd been so big. Much bigger than he ought to be, very heavy and big, so big that he pushed every bush and branch aside as he walked and they remained bent after he had left. In time they would return to how they were, but for now they guided the dog who followed dutifully along behind.

Where the grass grew or the ground was dry there were merely vague impressions, but where the earth was damp or even muddy the tracks were exceptionally clear and not entirely unlike Carter's. They were padded and clawed just like his, and though it confused him all Carter had to do was sniff at them and he'd be sure again. It was Nino. That wasn't usually how things were but… even if things were different, it was still him. In the end what sort of tracks they left in the mud didn't matter, the mother didn't like them being in the mud anyways.

Carter fondly remembered all the times it would rain and Nino would go out for walks anyways, laughing whenever Carter would chase after him with the leash that meant he was allowed to go outside. It was annoying to be held back but Carter had gotten used to it, and when no one else was around Nino would let him run wherever he liked. They'd walk through the rain and get soaked and dirty, then the mother would shout things at them. Nino never cared, so neither did he. Carter used to have memories with everyone, but after Nino had gotten hurt…

The dog forged on, trotting quickly as he followed the path. He was going to make up for what he did wrong before. Carter was meant to protect the family and he hadn't, Nino had gone out alone and he got hurt. Carter should have been there, should have fought off what hurt him and he hadn't. He wasn't going to leave his boy alone after that, and he became _his_ boy. He'd always be loyal to the family, but he wouldn't fail his boy again. And yet here he was… chasing along behind as Nino was alone.

But he was coming. He'd find him.

In the middle of the woods a German Shepherd was running, more confident in the path now and going as fast as it could. The trail was long and led deep into places he had never wandered before, winding close to neighborhoods but never entering. His boy had gone deep into the forest, farther and farther away from home than Carter had ever gone. Even as the day wore on and Carter got hungry and tired he didn't stop, he didn't want to. The only thing that made him stop was when he noticed a second scent following the same path… and he froze in his chase.

The dog was panting, having traveled very far already, but the introduction of the new smell alarmed him. Well, it wasn't new… he remembered it. He had tried to warn the mother and his boy, he'd tried to protect them but the mother had pulled him away. He barked and barked but Nino hadn't backed away, they didn't know she was dangerous like he did.

It did not comfort him to find the woman's scent in the forest.

It wasn't recent, not exactly, perhaps early that morning. She hadn't been there at the same time his boy had, rather she had followed along behind like Carter was doing now. But she was ahead of him, and Carter had no way to know if she had already beaten him to Nino.

The dog flew, digging his claws into the ground and pushing himself forward. He didn't like the woman, he didn't trust her, and he didn't want her anywhere near Nino again. Why had she followed him? She had tracked him the same way Carter was, looking for him. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Was that why Nino had gone so far, was he running from her? Or had he even known she was there? If she was there when he got there he'd run her off, there was no leash to hold him back now. He'd protect Nino, he was tired of not being there to protect him. He'd chase her away.

It was a long time later before Carter finally stopped, needing to rest if only for a little while. He forced himself forward until the scent was strong again, and after hours of running and hunting Carter finally pushed through into a small tree ringed clearing.

The panting dog wearily padded forward, sniffing at the area and taking the opportunity to rest for a moment as he sorted through what he found.

Carter prodded at a scattering of papers left in the grass, tilting his head in confusion and huffing at them. They fluttered from his breath but otherwise provided him with nothing, so he kept casting about.

The woman had been there, but she had left a long time before, maybe even before Carter had left the house, though he couldn't be sure. It didn't matter, she wasn't there, that's what mattered. He could tell that Nino had left this area as well, but the two smells went different directions so Carter allowed himself to rest. So long as he wasn't racing the woman he could stand a few minutes lost.

The dog laid down with a huff, panting still but refusing to sleep. He was a long way from home… but he had a feeling he was getting close.

The clearing was soaked with Nino's scent, and in a reassuring change it was much closer to what Carter was used to. It still had that different part, it wasn't gone, but it wasn't as strong as it had been on the trail. It was more mixed, not overpowering, it was like how it had been in the forest near the house. Carter didn't understand why the smell kept shifting, but if it was back to how it was then he must be getting closer. He could see it too, there were paw prints but they were old, much older than the footprints that led away. That was how footprints in the mud looked sometimes, when people didn't cover their feet. They were people prints as they were meant to be, and if Nino was back to how he was then that meant he was a lot slower, which was good news for Carter. He'd be able to catch up to him now instead of pace him, and so long as the smell didn't change again he could count on finding his boy before the sun went down.

Even as he lay in the forest, so far from home, his tail swept the grass as he considered finally catching up with Nino.

'I'm coming. I'm coming. I'll be there soon, and you'll be alright. And then I can take you home, and if I can't, then I'll stay with you. And you won't be alone and you'll be alright.

I'm coming.'

* * *

Nino had been sitting in a small wooded area just off the side of the road as the sun started to set. He tried to keep from panicking, finding some kind of reassurance in the fact that he wasn't in pain, so that meant that _it couldn't_ be happening again, right? It had hurt so much before, all the stories and even the note had said it was the full moon, only then, right? Even if the moon looked full maybe it wouldn't be completely, maybe it was only when it was completely full that it happened. Still though, he sat in the dark with his arms wrapped around his stomach practicing his chant.

'I'm a person… I'm a person… I'm not an animal. I'm not a monster.'

He grimaced against the hollow pain in his stomach and the ache of his feet. He had walked a very long way with bare feet and had nothing to eat. He had been keeping to the road, following signs that mentioned the distant city of Paris. It was the only thing he could do, he didn't have any money, he didn't even have his phone. He was just some dirty, terrified kid walking along the road.

A few people had stopped and he couldn't help but shy away. They asked him if he was okay, if he needed a phone or directions, but he had just muttered something and ran, too afraid to be near anyone. They had been kind, trying to help a homeless looking kid, but he was dangerous. He had to stay away. They didn't know what he was, they didn't know any better than to try and help him.

He knew eventually he'd have to do something for food but… he wasn't concerned with that right now. He just wanted to go, trying desperately not to think as he walked and walked and walked.

Nino jolted when he heard the squealing of tires, some big truck on the road blaring its horn as it was forced to stop. Nino watched nervously, afraid of the car stopping and him being seen, but it hadn't been stopping for him. He heard shouting a moment later, some loud mouthed jerk yelling out his window.

"MOVE YOU STUPID DOG!" and the horn blared again before the truck kept moving, veering around something as it darted across the road.

Nino kept watching, some part of his brain glad through the numbness that the truck had missed whatever dog was out running around about as lost as he was. And another part of his brain darkly chuckled as he realized that, at the minute, he didn't have a lot that wasn't in common with a stray.

God this was all so messed up…

Something off to Nino's left moved, pushing through the bushes and snapping the lost boy to attention. Nino scrambled to his feet, heart pounding as he tried to see through the failing light.

He was paranoid, seriously, but he felt a little justified. He had rather rapidly been made aware of all that was threatening in the world… and been made a part of that category. After a moment, he wondered if he wasn't more of a threat to it then it was to him, whatever it was.

Was it the dog? It would be on his side now, probably nervously padding around him as it headed towards whatever its destination was. Nino heard the sound of sniffing and the jingle of a collar some distance away, and despite his own situation he felt a pang of sympathy for it.

If it had a collar that meant it went somewhere… and was probably a long way from home. Again, darkly, Nino considered them similar, but his mind went blank when he saw the dark nose of an animal pushing through the brush… and the head of a German Shepherd poked out.

Not even a second later Nino was sprawled out roughly on the floor, the wind knocked from him as he was barreled over and his ears ringing as the dog barked joyously. The boy was gasping, trying to get his breath back as he was pinned to the ground, the dogs front paws planted squarely on his chest as its intention was instantly made completely clear to him. The dog might as well have been shouting, 'I found you! I found you!'

"C-Carter!?" Nino gasped incredulously, sputtering again as the dog started to drown him in saliva. Its rough tongue was scratching at his face as the animal practically vibrated in jubilation, besides itself with pride and excitement. When Nino was finally able to place his hands against the dog's chest and push it back, he realized that's exactly who it was. Dark blue collar with that same faded stripe of orange, a flat and circular golden nametag proudly proclaiming the dog to be his. It was Carter.

The dog barked again, bounding backwards and hopping in place, tail wagging furiously as Nino managed to sit up, staring at the dog in utter bewilderment.

"Carter what are you DOING here!?" Nino said aloud, laughing in disbelief as his dog jumped on him again and basically begged to be hugged. He complied of course, and realized with a resounding ache in his chest that he… he was just… so, _so_ relieved to see a friendly face, furred though it was.

"Carter I- how did you find me boy? Did you run away from home? You shouldn't have done that!"

Quite to Nino's shock, Carter pulled away, staring at him with his head cocked in confusion. Though he had no words to offer, again, it was extremely clear to Nino what it meant. His dog's posture and stance said the same thing it had said before, this time a little incredulously actually.

'I found you!'

Nino blinked once, trying to shake off the feeling and allowing himself to laugh again, roughing up the fur on Carter's head as the dog's tail still wagged happily.

"Boy… oh good boy Carter… you're a good boy. But are you- you-…" Nino's sentence fell short, and he pushed Carter a little distance away so he could look him in the face. It was stupid to ask but… he was so glad not to be alone. "Carter aren't you scared of me? S-shouldn't you be scared of monsters boy?" Nino hesitated again, his voice wavering a little. "You barked at her, w-we're the same now boy, aren't you scared of me too?"

Carter was still, his tail wagging and his head still titled to the side so that one ear flopped, and he met Nino's gaze very seriously, in a way Nino couldn't recall he had ever done before. As if he understood what he was saying perfectly, and was completely baffled by what he was saying for another reason entirely.

It was clear as day, just in the way he stood there, in the way he whined and tilted his face. It was as plain as if he had somehow said it aloud.

'Why would I be scared of you? You're not a monster.'

Nino was… in a word… overwhelmed. For two reasons.

The boy slowly reached for his dog, letting the sob that was sitting in his chest spill out as he pulled his stupidly loyal dog to him and just… held him. The Shepherd craned its neck into the space besides Nino's and, in a way, held him too, tail swishing slowly from side to side.

Nino started to cry, his tears soaking into his dog's fur as it patiently let him drop that protective wall of numbness. It understood that's what Nino needed, and he let Nino cry, only pulling away to occasionally lick the tears from his face and force a smile from him.

Nino, in that moment, was so entirely glad not to be alone… that he decided he was going to temporarily ignore the fact… that he could kind of talk to dogs…

For now.

He had enough things to think about as it was. He just… in the moment, he decided that he would deal with it in a minute.

He just wanted to be with his dog for a while.

He could deal with the other part later.


	5. Chapter 5

'Nino?'

"Uh… yeah? Buddy?"

'Where are we going?'

"Paris."

'Paris?'

Nino looked away from his dog, watching the path ahead as it steadily got lighter with the rising sun. The two of them had been walking for a few hours, only resting for about five hours before heading out again. They hadn't spoken much, mostly because Nino was trying to cope with it being an option at all. Carter had been quiet, clearly worried and agitated but respecting Nino's silence for the most part. He seemed to pick up on the fact that talking to him made him uncomfortable, and Nino couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt.

"It's a city," Nino tried to engage, looking back down. It felt weird as hell when he spoke with the intention of Carter understanding him, his body reacted and it was… different. It was a different way of talking. He still said the words aloud but he couldn't talk to Carter and look away from him, some part of him understood the communication had a lot more to do with body language and tone then actual words. It wasn't anything obvious or even broad, it was just the way he held himself and always looked at him when he said something. It wasn't flawless, there were lots of things he couldn't convey, such as the name of a place having a meaning without explanation. "It's a place with a lot of people. Really noisy, really big. People live there, a whole lot more people then who lived in the houses near us. When there are lots of people who live and work in one area it's called a city."

'And this city is called Paris?'

"Yeah, exactly," Nino praised him, smiling a little when Carter's tail wagged. He was trying not to upset him, there was no way for Carter to understand why he was uncomfortable without him thinking it was his fault or something like that. In all honesty Carter barely seemed fazed by the fact they could communicate much easier than before. People and animals sort of have a vague gist of what other creatures are feeling anyways, especially pets like dogs, so for Carter it was just them being on the same wave length. It didn't mean much to him that now whole words and concepts were expressed instead of just emotions.

'We aren't going to go home are we? Even after Paris?'

Nino jolted a little, slowing down as Carter trotted forward to look up at him a little more easily. The Shepherd said it as plainly as he had asked what Paris was, not upset or accusing in the slightest.

Nino was quiet at first, looking away and down the road. It was about dawn now…

"No buddy. We're not going home. Or at least, I'm not," Nino explained once he looked back at his companion, tone serious. "I can't go home. That doesn't mean you can't."

'Why can't you go home?'

"Because I _can't_ Carter," Nino huffed irritably, suddenly agitated again at the simple question his dog had asked once before already.

Nino looked away and Carter didn't reply, or maybe he did. He wasn't entirely sure he could understand anything that didn't have a sound attached to it if he wasn't looking, but he didn't feel like trying to work out the subtleties of talking to dogs just then. However, Carter wasn't exactly on the same page, and barked in a way that very simply said, 'Hey!'

When Nino finally looked back down, Carter was annoyed.

'I'm not leaving you. I'm not going home either. I'll protect you from what scares you, so stop it. I'm here now.'

Nino stared at the firm determination on his dog's face in silence, and slowly the two of them came to a stop on the side of the road, never looking away from each other.

Occasionally a car would drive by, but for the most part they were alone, and Nino felt a distant sort of hollowness.

"You can't protect me from this boy."

The German Shepherd huffed, stubbornly holding his head high as he defiantly said, 'Watch me.'

Nino was quiet for half a second, before suddenly he laughed. The sound was short and airy, betraying disbelief and to no small degree, affection.

It didn't matter how many times Nino tried to explain to him he was dangerous, or that what was happening was complicated or out of their control. His stubborn dog really didn't care what he considered possible, he was going to bark away lycanthropy if it was the last thing he did. He'd fight the monsters in the dark on his own if he had to, and Nino knew he meant it when he said he wasn't going anywhere. As far as the dog was concerned they were in it till the end. He'd follow Nino to the ends of the earth if he asked him to, and certainly go as far as Paris.

Nino stood at the side of the road, watchful and withdrawn as he considered the circumstance they had found themselves in. A man who was just as much an animal as the dog that stood beside him, and a dog that looked at him with more determination and strength than any man in Nino's life had ever commanded.

Finally, after a long and silent moment, Nino smiled. He looked away, chuckling weakly to himself as he slowly shook his head. Though at first he said nothing, Carter seemed to understand and in his own way, he laughed too.

"You're a good boy Carter," he finally muttered, taking a deep breath to center himself and looking to the sky. "Good boy…"

He wasn't looking to see, but Carter stood beside him with his chest puffed out, tail wagging steadily as they set off once again, walking side by side.

'I know,' he replied, trotting at a set pace as the two of them worked their way towards Paris.

* * *

It took a long time, and both the boy and his dog were weary and starving as they neared the finish line, but on Tuesday the 18th of October, Nino finally stepped one blistered bare foot over the city limit of Paris.

Carter was whining now with every step, really incapable of stopping it as he and his boy supposedly reached their destination. Both of them went on for another twenty minutes before they both together collapsed with their backs to the wall of a building, in an alleyway about as dirty as they were. It had taken their walk through all of the previous day, a bulk of the night, and all the way through dawn until morning but they were here. Carter licked at his paws and Nino cradled one of his feet in his lap, wincing at how raw the skin was. Traversing that far barefoot had been far from comfortable, but he was admittedly impressed he didn't have any sores. He was tougher than he gave himself credit for, apparently, but he was exhausted now.

They had started wading through increasingly populated areas for about an hour now, but Nino was forced to realize that he didn't have a plan once they finally crossed city limits. They had no food and Nino looked homeless at best.

'Can we rest?' Carter asked him, laying on the floor and looking up at his owner with weary eyes. He was laying on wet cement that smelled a bit foul but the dog hardly seemed to notice, both he and his boy barely out of sight from the street.

"Of course buddy," Nino assured him, a little out of breath as he stared up the long reaching walls of the buildings they rested between.

'You need to eat,' Carter reminded him, and Nino grumbled.

"We both do. Wait here buddy, I'll- I'll find something."

'I'll come.'

"No, wait here. I've got it, I'll dig up… something." Nino stood as he spoke, his legs screaming in protest but he tried his best to ignore it. Carter wasn't impossible to dissuade, but the Shepherd kept a careful eye on Nino as he ventured further into the alleyway.

What now? Nino couldn't help but imagine the worst as he took a look at the series of trashcans left outside of their respective businesses, hating that they were his only likely source for feeding himself and his dog. He might be able to convince Carter to go beg for scraps at a Café he had seen up ahead before they desperately needed rest, but he wouldn't get much that way. Nino was too proud to beg, for the time being, and him being so clearly school aged out begging for scraps during school hours would just cause trouble. He'd get picked up and marched off, and if his parents had reported him missing or something… it just wouldn't be good. Getting turned around and sent right back home where he'd just have to leave them again…

Nino sighed, looking carefully down both ends of the alley and watching foot traffic pass blissfully by before he opened the first bin.

Nino recoiled instantly, the smell hitting him like a tidal wave and making him gag. It was so _potent_ ; he could sort out a hundred horrible things just from the one blast alone. He stumbled back and let the lid drop nosily, swearing irritably as he did.

This was so _frustrating_. Everything was too _much_. The world was so close and loud and every smell was a million times clearer than it had any business being. It freaked him out, it overwhelmed him, he couldn't even open a trashcan without being thrown off. It was too _new_ and disarming, every time something happened he couldn't explain or understand it just threatened to break him down again. He felt so freaking… weak.

Nino shuddered, fighting back the emotions that threatened him. He needed to get a grip, he needed to focus on the practical things. What to do next, where to sleep, how to get food, how to find that school if it even _existed_.

But it was so hard...

Why was this happening? Why him? It wasn't **fair**. It was just some random _accident_ and now he was just this- this _thing_ rooting through the trash for food and freaking out because he had **_nowhere to go_** except a place that might not even be real- and just- j-just-

'Hey.'

Nino felt Carter's head press into his hand, moving forward to rub his body against his boy's leg and give him what warmth he could offer. When Nino looked down Carter was watching him, large eyes confused but trying to understand. He wanted to understand, because he wanted to help.

Carter didn't fully know the gravity of what was happening, or the true extent of how much pain his boy was in… but he was there. He looked up and saw the tracks of tears on Nino's face and all the torment that consumed him, and he didn't know how to stop it. He didn't understand… but he was there.

'Let's look together,' Carter offered plainly, attempting to distract him and defeat the trashcan that had offended him somehow. He knew it wasn't exactly the trash, that it was something about Nino himself that was upsetting him so deeply, but the trash was the only thing he could beat. Nino was hungry and exhausted and scared… and even if he couldn't stop the last thing he'd fix the first two.

"Thanks…" Nino muttered in response, still too dazed to focus, so Carter took the next step for them both.

It was relatively easy to stand on two legs so he could reach the bin, grabbing to grimy foul smelling plastic and twisting his body to bring it down with a crash. They both jumped back, letting its contents hit the ground, and while Nino kept a look out Carter starting quickly sorting through it.

A whole lot of it not even Carter would eat, but he was able to drag out a few things that looked alright. To him at least, when he looked up to gauge Nino's reaction his boy looked far from thrilled, so he kept looking. Admittedly it felt weird to be allowed and actually _encouraged_ to root through the trash. He would have never gotten away with this with the mother around.

Nino watched Carter work for a little while, nervously watching the streets and the two old rusted doors that acted as back entrances for the businesses they hid between. They looked barely used for anything _other_ than the trash, but still… he'd rather not get shouted at and forced to book it.

He looked down when he felt something like a wadded paper bag hit his foot, finding that it was exactly that and tossed at him by a very pleased Carter. The dog was obviously chuffed with himself, having found something he deemed suitable for his boy to eat.

"Good boy," Nino praised absent mindedly, smiling weakly at first but frowning when he saw Carter turn around to eat something else he had found. It looked… well, probably not like what it was meant to look like, but Carter seemed alright with it. He had seen his dog eat much worse though, and knew Carter had a stomach made of iron and an unrefined palate.

Nino crouched and picked up the fast food bag that had been tossed out earlier that day, comforted by the familiar branding and opening it. The bag had kept it clean, which was good. It was scattered with a few opened ketchup packets and some wadded up burger wrappers that spoke of something probably much more appealing that had long been eaten by someone else. However, it wasn't a total loss, and he sighed in relief as he dug up the box of chicken nuggets from the bottom and felt some weight from it.

Nino walked a short distance away from the too potent trash before sitting, tossing the wrappers aside and grabbing a generous handful of cold fries to eat. Carter, seeing that the dining location had changed dragged over his own meal, perfectly content to gnaw at a closed Tupperware with a whole bunch of sticky looking nonsense inside until he could open it. Although as soon as he settled down he felt Nino tugging at it gently, raising an eyebrow at him when he grumbled irritably so he let it go.

"Bro," Nino laughed quietly, "you can actually ask for help now, take advantage of it." Nino unclipped the lid and looked at the… pie residue or whatever that was before handing it back, Carter's tail wagging as he snatched it back and set about licking it clean.

They ate in companionable silence for a while, Carter checking from time to time to make sure Nino wasn't having another crisis before padding back and forth from where they sat and the trash pile. His selection was a little wider than Nino's so he often took the best to his boy and took something else for himself, but Nino stopped him a handful of times with a grimace.

"No, Carter drop it seriously cooked chicken bones are bad for dogs. **Don't**. Give it to me."

Carter grumbled a little, tail drooping as he moodily tossed some gnawed chicken wings at him. Nino also didn't let him lick at the bitter coffee grounds or the sweet smelling foil he found, claiming he knew it wasn't good.

'Why not,' Carter pouted, holding half of a chocolate bar in his mouth as Nino scolded him.

"Because its _chocolate._ Chocolate hurts dogs too."

Carter pouted, figuring Nino just wanted it himself but… that was alright, so he padded over to give it to him before turning back to his trash picking.

"Dogs can't eat chocolate," Nino was muttering quietly to himself, tearing off the extra wadded bits of foil and about to eat it himself before he stopped, blinking once before pulling it away and eyeing it suspiciously. "Wait… can… _I_ eat chocolate?"

Nino let his hands drop into his lap, pondering the question a little irritably when suddenly, he became aware of the sound of footsteps at the far end of the alley.

He didn't look up at first, focusing completely on the sound in a way that was… surprisingly effective. It was a steady, feminine gate, keeping its set tempo much like any other person who passed their alley way but this one was different in that it paused and then worked its way _towards_ them. He could tell, just in the subtle shift of a sound _in_ the alley versus one past it, and was unsurprised to look up and see a woman watching him.

"Carter," Nino said in a tense voice, standing quickly and alerting the dog who had been too focused on looking for more food to notice. Nino couldn't help but feel caught out, suddenly agitated and ready to run for it. Was it illegal to look through the trash? He was fairly certain though this woman didn't look like a cop, and to his surprise she stopped advancing and held her hands up submissively.

"Wait!" she called out to him, staying far away and letting her voice carry instead of crowding them. "Don't run! It's alright, don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

Nino watched her carefully, taking a step back despite her assurance and feeling something cold in his chest at seeing such a kind looking woman trying to help a lost kid. She didn't know any better, she had no idea what he- he…

He stopped, blinking once and looking closer as Carter shifted at his side, obviously aware of the same thing.

The woman herself was very pleasant looking, reminding him of a young mother or something similar. She was tall and slender, pale skinned and red-headed with very powerful looking teal eyes that stood out. She was youthful but clearly an adult, either very late twenties or early thirties and she had a professional yet nurturing look to her. She was dressed business casual in gradations of teal and white, her simple flats making a gentle sound as she slowly stepped forward.

But that wasn't everything, there was something else he couldn't place. She stood out to him apart from everyone else he had passed since entering the city, or any person at all since…

He snapped out of his thoughts as she kept getting closer, close enough now that he could clearly see the flash of pity across her face as she glanced once towards the trash, and then back to him to hold her gaze just off his eyes. Her hands were still up, presenting herself in an open way that… sort of helped, in some weird way. The same with the way she didn't stare him down, not exactly avoiding his gaze but more so like… making it clear she wasn't a threat.

She stopped about ten feet away, letting her hands down and folding them loosely in front of her now that she had made an impression. Nino didn't run, but he was very aware of his exits.

'Smells soft…'

"What dude?" Nino accidently said aloud, looking down at Carter and sort of hoping for him to elaborate before feeling a spike of embarrassment, realizing he just sort of openly addressed his dog. The woman for her part didn't look fazed, and Nino was forced to keep looking at Carter as he explained.

'Her. She smells nice. Soft.'

"Well that didn't help," Nino muttered to his dog, getting more and more uncomfortable by the second but Carter looked totally at ease. Nino was scrambling for something to say to her, ashamed to have been caught digging for food and covered in dirt without even shoes on his feet. He probably looked pathetic, and now insane, but she just kept looking at him kindly and he wanted to hide.

"I know you're probably afraid right now," she spoke up suddenly, her voice incredibly gentle and… kind. "You are alone with so many things you don't understand, but I'm so glad you're here. I've been looking for you."

Nino froze, feeling a chill creep up his spine as he sputtered out, "W-what?"

"I don't know your name," she explained softly, looking apologetic for that, "but neither did the woman who told us about you. If that bite on your shoulder is anything to go by then… you're exactly who I've been trying to find."

Nino stiffened, swallowing against the tightness of his throat. Without meaning to he raised a hand to cover his deep, twisted scar.

"Y-you know what I…"

"What you are?" she finished for him, her eyes holding a bit of sadness as she met his gaze. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes. And I meant it when I said I was here to help you."

Nino didn't respond, feeling a potent untamed mix of emotions in his chest. In a way, he felt sick. Sick and terrified to have it acknowledged and to be viewed as a _thing_ , but… she wasn't… afraid? At the very most, she looked sad. And in another way… he was so… _relieved_.

"This must be so overwhelming," she spoke again, everything about her in that moment exuding compassion. "I can't pretend to know what it's like for new werewolves, but there are things we can do for you, and a place you can go."

Nino flinched at the word, taking a step away but letting her talk, mostly because he didn't know what else to say. He was laid so bare for this stranger…

"My name is Caline," she offered after a time, attempting to make him more comfortable as she laid a hand over her heart. "Caline Bustier. I'm a teacher at a very specialized school for children like you. We offer education, training, information, and in your case, a place to stay. There are people there who can tell you more to help you adjust, we'll provide you with a home and food and clothing. You'll be safe there."

"Why help me?" he interrupted her, voice tight as he clutched at the bite on his shoulder. "Aren't I dangerous? Why would you put yourself at risk like that?"

"You aren't dangerous," she said immediately, looking upset that he thought that of himself and speaking urgently. "You're just a child whose been thrown into something he doesn't understand. You're scared, but you aren't dangerous, not if you don't want to be."

Nino was quiet, grinding his teeth together and looking away from her. He already looked like a vagrant… he wasn't about to cry in front of her.

"How did you find me…" he asked in a thick voice, trying to distract himself as he memorized the patterns of the stone walls.

He only looked back at her when she answered, very seriously, "Magic."

She took in his incredulous expression with grace, splaying her hands as she said with a soft smile, "Young man, with everything you've been through… is it really so hard to believe?"

Nino opened his mouth, intending to respond, but the words faltered on his tongue and he remained silent. No... he supposed it wasn't.

"There is a lot about your world now you don't know about, and will be hard to adjust to. Your view was limited to the world of humans, and now your life encompasses things so far beyond it that it will be hard for you to accept. However, it does not make them any less real."

Nino listened, swallowing again nervously as he let his hand drop from his shoulder and cling to his wrist in a gesture that probably came off as anxious. Because it finally occurred to him… that it would be very unlikely for a school of monsters to hire a human woman as a teacher.

Nino glanced down at his dog, counting on him to freak out if there was something that needed freaking out about like he had with the woman at the doctor's office. But no, Carter was sitting now with his tail wagging slowly back and forth, looking to all the world like nothing was amiss.

"Magic?" he finally asked, looking to her again and chuckling a little weakly. "That's uh… wow."

She laughed too, smiling in a way that put him more at ease. She didn't look anything like the ragged guilty woman, something about her told him she wasn't a threat to him.

"It is a very extensive and varied element of our world, it is impossible really to understand it all unless it is your direct field of study, and even then there are so many subjects to specialize in. Your lessons at the school would not so much involve it directly, but would instead focus on better understanding yourself and your new environment as a whole. Once you were comfortable and adjusted you could move on to whatever you like, try your hand at a fair few skills or develop ones you already have. How I found you is a very simple spell employed by the school and its teachers. It lets us know when a new, young monster enters the city limits." She smiled again, her hands casually resting in front of her as she said, "We had been told to expect you, but I had been out searching for you regardless. Of course school is currently in session but, well. The principal is acting as a substitute for my class. I considered finding you and much more important than a pop quiz I had planned."

Nino smiled a little at that, the expression actually genuine now as he asked, "What sort of stuff ends up on a monster pop quiz anyways?"

"Oh bits and pieces," she said with a dismissive wave, seemingly happy that he was engaging now and eager to keep him open. "We have many students from very different backgrounds, so what we cover as a whole is varied. Sometimes history, geography though the realms, origins, basic spell awareness and plants commonly used in charms. That sort of thing."

He snorted without meaning to, shaking his head and looking down in a stunned daze though he smiled still. "Yeah. Nothing interesting there…"

He didn't look up for a little while, letting silence fall over their conversation as he tried to pull himself together.

"You're still skeptical," she said without prompting, sounding like she understood completely. She waited until he was looking at her again before she said genuinely, "I'm expecting you to go very far on desperation and faith, I understand. Although, if it would help, I could offer you some faith in return."

"How do you mean," he said dully, entirely too distracted with thoughts of potions and charms and whatever the hell he could expect for classmates to focus entirely on what she could mean. He watched her equally as dimly as she gestured to herself.

"An example, I suppose. Something to let you know what to… expect, in a way."

"…yeah?"

She watched him for a moment before smiling again to put him at ease, presenting herself and her appearance as she spoke. "As I appear before you now is an example of magic, something very commonplace at our school and the world we live in. It is the result of a charm or spell referred to as a 'glamour.'"

"Glamour," he repeated, testing the word and still sort of out of it as she continued.

She nodded approvingly, glad to see he was trying. "Yes. Now isn't the time to explain to you how one is made or used, but it is important you know it's effects. I, as I am sure you have already assumed, am not human."

Nino was admittedly a little more focused now, picking nervously at the zipper of his jacket. He looked back down at Carter to see how he felt about this, but he almost looked bored at this point so he stood his ground.

"My kind are known as Cervitaurs," she explained, as casually as if it was the weather, and she gestured to the world beyond the alleyway with one hand. "We cannot pass for a normal human in the human realm, though our upper halves resemble them our lower halves do not, and attempting to move among them without a glamour would cause a panic. Beings that operate through the other realms and that are aware of the magic in all of our worlds have found it… safest, to leave humans in the dark. While I personally believe the right approach would integrate our worlds to great benefit I also understand that in some circumstances it is a lot to ask of them, and respect the laws dissuading our exposure to them." She gestured to herself again, continuing to explain. "However, if I am incapable of passing for human and need to move through human territories such as Paris, I am able to use 'glamour' to alter my appearance through magic and allow me to move about while looking like any other human woman."

Nino swallowed dryly, fidgeting with his zipper still. "Okay…"

"I know it might be a bit much for you however, I think you should see. So that you are not so completely caught off guard by the variety of appearances and forms at our school."

"Well, I- I get that," he was suddenly scrambling to say, the words hollow as he fought between his need to avoid it and his insane curiosity. She was so _nice_ looking, what… what _was she_? "But uh, we're in an alleyway and someone might see and like uh- uh…"

"It's alright," she said with a laugh, knowing he was uncomfortable but insisting still since it was for his own good. "You'd be amazed what humans miss in the corners of their eyes."

Nino was trying to find something else to say when she made a gesture like a sharp flick of her wrists, sweeping her arms down her torso like she was casting something off. All at once the air in front of her shimmered loosely, wavering and bending like things did sometimes when it was very hot out. He felt no heat from this, but it distorted things in a similar way as he tensed against a kind of static he was abruptly aware of. Carter was on his feet, tail out straight as they both watched in a manner of seconds the woman's form shifted.

There wasn't a transition really, it was like he blinked and she was replaced with something… vaguely similar… sort of. The top half anyways.

It was her, her hair fashioned in mostly the same business casual bun as it had been before except now there were flecks of pale brown spots along one side. She still had her blazer and collar and necklace and all that, honestly the spots in her hair were the only thing different about her upper half. But uh… her lower half?

"Jesus CHRIST," Nino couldn't help but scream, trying to back up so quickly he tripped over himself and fell sprawled out on the ground. He kicked at the floor to back up some more, heart pounding as he looked up at the half woman half _deer_ that stood looking at him with an understanding smile and her hands on her hiiiips… not hips… like uh, shoulder of the deer part? Kiiiind of? Like a deer centaur. With a deer instead of the hor- oooooh. _Cervitaur_. **_Deer centaur._**

"Holy WOW, wow, I'm sorry," he said quickly, looking her in the face when he could tear his eyes away from the deer part for a second. "I'm sorry, sorry, that's rude but _oh wow._ Wow. AAaaah, jesus."

She crossed her arms, chuckling a little at his reaction. "It's alright, I know you've never seen anything like this before."

"NOPE," he said tensely, still staring in a way he was sure was rude but _wow_.

'Deer!' Carter was saying excitedly, hopping a bit as he barked and danced around her. He wasn't very helpful, but it wasn't exactly his fault. He was very pleased to finally place the smell memory that had been bothering him, he _knew_ the smell was familiar. 'Deer woman!'

He kept barking, never jumping on her but Nino noticed a little late that she was eyeing the dog a tad uncomfortably. Her _hooves_ clattered on the cement a little as she stepped away, continuing to smile but keeping an eye on the dog.

"Carter," Nino finally said, starting to stand so he could grab the excited shepherd, "Carter! Stop, down. No barking!"

Carter turned to look at him, stopping dead as he stared at him in utter disbelief. Like it was completely unacceptable that Nino was not as excited about the deer as he was, but Nino just repeated himself, ordering the dog to stop.

'Nino!' Carter tried once more, indignant until Nino patted him on the head, scooting him away from the woman a little.

"You're not in trouble," Nino assured him, "but don't bark. It's rude."

Nino looked nervously up at the woman now, trying very hard to just look her in the face as he stammered. "Sorry, sorry about him. Sorry about yelling."

"It's absolutely alright young man," she comforted him kindly, still exuding that compassionate nurturing quality he had sensed from her since the start. She looked at the dog who was now sitting obediently, albeit a little peeved, and she chuckled to herself before addressing Nino. "Your dog is nice, though I find it inappropriate that I know its name before yours."

"Oh," Nino said quietly, suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, it's Nino, sorry," he apologized again, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I have a lot on my mind, I forgot I hadn't even told you. Nino Lahiffe."

He hesitated before reaching out for a handshake, assuming that since she had hands that it was still appropriate. She smiled as she accepted it, and she noticed with amusement that the confirmation of familiar human like touch reassured him somewhat.

"It's very nice to meet you Nino," she said genuinely, taking advantage of their proximity to lean forward a bit and place a hand on his shoulder, the one with the scar. He tensed, not from pain, but he was tense all the same. She kept the contact though, wanting to bring the scar to the forefront of his mind as she spoke again. "I'm happy I've found you. I know this is overwhelming, but you don't have to be afraid of this, of magic of any of it. And most certainly not of yourself." She watched as shock registered on his face, such a complicated tangle of emotions visible in his eyes that… her heart ached for this young boy. Her heart ached for the boy with eyes aged with pain and child-like with fear.

He didn't push her hand away, and he felt that tightness in his chest again as he struggled not to cry and expose himself even further. He couldn't help but be terrified of how alien this was for him, but he also… he was also so relieved. She wasn't afraid of him. She knew what he was and wasn't afraid of him, and wanted to help him not be afraid of himself either. She had answers and shelter and somewhere safe, she was something reassuring and calm when everything was so chaotic. He wondered if he was a fool for trusting her so completely… but he had to.

He had to trust someone to survive. He had to believe that there were answers and classes at some weird magic school that made this okay. He couldn't cope with himself any other way.

He felt himself shaking and hated it, bowing his head as he tried not to cry. He was aware of her placing her other hand on his other shoulder as well, comforting him in way she hoped he was comfortable with. And he was. He felt Carter move to his side, leaning his weight into his leg in silent comfort.

After a few moments he was able to pull it together, breathing roughly and clearing his throat. The woman let her hands drop, allowing him to take a step away as he looked at nothing, intent on being strong in a way she admired.

"Thank you…" he said after a while, his voice raspy with unspent emotion. He looked at the ground, petting Carter with one hand as he said, "For finding me… Thank you."

"Will you come with me to the school? I know you must be tired… I'd like to take you somewhere to get some food, let you clean off. But after that, I can take you there. Of course, Carter is welcome too."

Nino nodded, patting Carter and realizing he hadn't even considered what he would have done should Carter not be allowed, and was grateful to realize that wasn't a problem. He was silent for a moment, before he took a deep, steadying breath and looked her in the eyes again.

"Yeah, I'll go. It might be kind of a lot for me but uh… I'll do my best to keep my cool. And… I'd appreciate the food. I hate making Carter dig through the trash but… I don't have any money."

"We can set up an allowance system," she assured him, her expression thoughtful as she turned away. "I'll have to see our budget… everything you need is taken care of but you are young, you deserve money to spend on yourself any your own things, and things for Carter as well. Yes, we'll look up the rates of human money, I'm assuming you won't be purchasing things from other realms for a while. I'll let Mr. Damocles know, I'm sure he won't object-," She kept talking as he turned away, taking somewhat loud steps back in the direction she had come. She was talking mostly to herself as she planned things, and Nino tensed a bit in surprise as she almost absentmindedly somehow reapplied the glamour with a swish of her hands. Just like that a totally normal looking woman was striding down the alleyway, expecting him and his dog to follow, which they did.

Nino trailed behind her, feet sore and aching but he knew he didn't have much longer to walk, and the promise of warm food and a shower pushed him forward. And also, he realized, the promise of a safe place and discussion of the future. Talking about an allowance and room they had prepared and where to buy dog food just… it was normal. It was stable, and sane, even if it was in an empty classroom in a school full of god knows what.

Nino silently steeled himself, listening to her talk and watching as Carter trotted forward to walk beside her as if she really was as human as she appeared. A Cervitaur was only the first drop in the bucket, that he knew now. He had no idea what other kinds of things were really out there, and _magic?_ But still, he was going to have to live with these people, go to school with them. He was expected to attend classes and stuff, to just freaking turn to like a… gargoyle or something and be like 'Yo what did you get for number three?' He couldn't freak out and scream on sight, he needed to be ready.

So, walking quietly behind a creature of magic, Nino quietly made a promise to himself to be as strong as possible from now on. He had the hope of some kind of future and answers to make things better…

That was enough for now.


	6. Chapter 6

"No barking, got it? No matter what. You just stay with me, no growling, no barking, no running off. Understand?" Nino said quietly to his dog, kneeling on the cold tile floor of the gym's bathroom. Nino was finally clean and full, feeling as normal as he possibly could while talking to his dog about Monster School Etiquette. Carter, to his credit, was sitting and listening intently, tail wagging as he looked up at his boy.

'No barking. Got it. Stay with you.'

"Yes," Nino encouraged, patting him on the head. "Stay with me. We stick together and everything will be fine, we just need to trust Ms. B that nothing there is actually dangerous. Or well… dangerous to _us_ , I guess they're all still… dangerous." Nino grimaced a little at that, bowing his head and shaking it with a sigh before moving to stand up.

Nino stood still for a moment, taking deep breaths to get himself ready for what came next. Ms. Bustier had come through on her promises, both he and Carter were fully fed and showered now. Carter had thrown a fit about being pushed into one of the showers at the public gym they were using, but luckily they had been the only ones in there so Nino was free to argue with him until he sat still and he could rub the dirt and lingering garbage scent from his fur. Now Carter sat patiently in front of him, still a tad damp but fluffy and content from being toweled dry. They might have a slightly harder time passing him off as a service dog now that Nino actually looked put together and mentally sane.

Carter fidgeted a little, starting to stand even as he was midway through shaking himself violently again, and Nino was forced to step back with a groan. His newly cleaned collar jingled noisily as he did, mixing with Nino's muttered, half-hearted complaints.

"Dude Ms. B actually cleaned my clothes can you not ruin them again with wet dog smell? Much appreciated."

'You smell that way too,' Carter shot back immediately, giving what Nino had decided was the dog equivalent to a snicker when he pouted. Nino was about to respond when there came a polite rap of knuckles on the door, Ms. Bustier's now familiar voice slightly muffled but still effortlessly heard.

"Boys? Are you about ready now? I bought you some shoes, and some things for Carter as well."

"Yeah, coming!" Nino called back, feeling a rush of gratefulness for this woman for perhaps the dozenth time already. She was so kind and patient, and even though Carter couldn't understand her his tail starting wagging just from hearing her voice.

Nino took just a moment more to steel himself, before finally, he turned towards the door and walked out with Carter at his side.

"Well you look much better!" Ms. Bustier said immediately upon sighting him, stood nearby with a plastic shopping bag looped over one arm. She was still in her 'human' form seeing as they were currently making use of a human public facility, but their next destination would let her stretch her legs. All four of them.

"Thanks again Ms. B," Nino repeated himself, feeling the need to say it at almost every turn in the road. He had been in her company for about three hours now, and despite the ludicrous nature of their acquaintance she had managed to make him feel more normal than he had ever since he was attacked by that monster in the woods. He'd never stop owing her for that

"Of course," she answered with a smile, looking down to fish through the shopping bag as she spoke. "I bought you some flip flops while you finished washing Carter, they aren't very nice but they'll do. They're easier to replace should you lose or damage them." She pulled out a pair of black flip flops that were roughly the correct size, maybe just a touch too big. She went back to the bag. "We can't keep walking Carter around without a leash, being ticketed by human police is always annoying. They don't exactly have a proper name in their systems to charge, it always ends up being a hassle. I also grabbed a small bag of generic food for him, so please apologize to him for me if it isn't particularly good."

Nino laughed at that, looking on with a smile as Ms. B stooped to attached the simple brown leash to Carter's collar, the shepherd sitting obediently as Nino had asked him to while in public. "Carter's not picky," Nino assured her, taking the bag from her so she wouldn't have to carry it which she seemed to find polite of him. "He'll eat anything, seriously. Thank you for thinking of him."

"Of course," she repeated with another kind smile, her expression turning earnest as she asked, "Are you ready?"

Nino was a little slow to answer, reaching out to take the leash from her as well as he fought back his unease. Eventually he said, "Uh… yeah. I'm a little nervous, not gonna lie but, I'll be cool. I'll do my best, anyways."

"You're very brave," she said softly, reaching out to touch his unscarred shoulder in a comforting gesture. She gently guided him towards the door as she said, "It's going to be alright. You'll love it there, I'm certain of it. You'll have more fun then you're expecting to, I know attending our school wasn't something you intended but… we're glad to have you."

"What is it called again?" he asked, trying to mentally prepare himself as he tugged Carter back a little since the shepherd having pulled ahead to eagerly escape the potent smell of sweat and musk that came along with gyms.

"Collège Françoise Dupont," she told him, the pride in her voice clear as she led the way out onto the street, leading them towards the school in question that was only a few blocks away now. "It's a fantastic school, founded in an old human school that was scheduled to be renovated for other purposes. However, our esteemed principal, Mr. Damocles, saw the opportunity to continue using the school to educate children of a different background. He converted it into a school for Other Realm beings a little over two years ago. This is only the schools third running school year."

"Oh," Nino remarked in surprise, looking at her as they kept walking. "I was sort of expecting something like, ancient and old. It's that new?"

She nodded, her expression thoughtful as if she was wondering how to phrase something. The trip kept walking, Nino struck again by the normalcy of the street compared to the strangeness of their conversation. They passed a café and a storefront, a handful of businesses and many busy looking normal people on their way to do some busy, normal things. Nino felt sort of uneasy being near them at first, but now that he was clean and feeling thoroughly like himself he didn't feel quite as… unstable.

Ms. Bustier considered what to say for a moment more, before finally she said, "The other realms are very ancient places, the oldest of them all being the Never Never. They have existed longer than the human realm certainly, and with that sort of age comes an incredibly detailed and complicated culture. The realms only mixed very rarely, it was really only during the era of humans that they started to intersect. Humans proved to be extremely capable creatures, combining dormant aspects of their world and using it to open gateways to others. They learned to wield magic, and in doing so set into motion a very large change." Ms. Bustier looked over at Nino as they walked, speaking carefully. "You see, its only within the past six thousand years or so that beings from different realms started to meet and influence each other, while travel between realms was technically possible it was never done. It was humans and variations upon the base human form that opened those doors. This created magic folk as they exist now and led to the creation of human variants such as werewolves like yourself. Cervitaurs existed long before humans, and many vaguely human appearing beings existed before them as well, but my main point is no one interacted before humans appeared. Only beings that existed in their own realm interacted, and even then there were many divisions and factions."

She paused for a moment, unconsciously putting an arm out in front of Nino to keep him from crossing the street as traffic darted passed, regardless of the fact that Nino gave no sign of actually intending to cross. Nino watched as she lapsed into thought again, the teacher's teal eyes flickering up as they were given the sign to walk again.

"So, no one talked?" Nino tried to prompt her, intrigued but pretty confused still. He wasn't sure what the point of this was, even if it was pretty interesting.

"Yes, interactions were rare. We all knew each other existed as well as the other realms, but nothing mixed. However once humans and human sorcerers appeared and created a culture of crossing the borders between worlds things were forced to adapt. Suddenly established gates existed all over, and all creatures could maneuver between them. Cities were established in the FarLands that hosted all kinds of life, and eventually about as many magic creatures lived in the human realm as they did anywhere else. So long as human civilization has existed so have the gates, and while that may seem like a long time, in the eyes of the supernatural it isn't, not exactly. Many things that are not accustomed to adapting were forced to change, and even now many factions struggle to exist side by side. Prejudices exist and our children are raised with outdated values. Mr. Damocles as well as every teacher at our school are of the mind that this needs to change, and that the improvement of our standings with each other lies best in our children. So, only two years ago, Mr. Damocles established the first school that was open to children of every realm, and its mission was to teach them about _every_ realm, not just their own. Children are incredibly kind, and I have learned that it is their default state to understand and learn. If we can create a generation of new ideas and generate an environment of tolerance and integration, then our future would be much brighter. The mixing of realms already exists, teaching the children of our worlds to feel at home in every realm regardless of their origins would change everything, so that's what we're doing."

"Wow…" Nino exclaimed quietly, staring ahead. "Monster racism. I dunno why it didn't occur to me that that might be a thing."

"I'm not sure I'd brand it that strongly," she contradicted him, then she seemed to think better of it. "Well, of course there are still some people like that. Mostly it's just this culture of assumptions and prejudices that we want to counteract. Society has made great strides, but still we taught our children separately. Our school is very unique, but I hope one day it will be commonplace."

Nino didn't respond at first, really not sure what to say. "Cool," he eventually went with, looking down at Carter as the shepherd walked confidently ahead.

Ms. Bustier fell silent, walking a little ahead of Nino just so she could lead the way. Explaining the intricacies of their school's mission without paining the realms in a bad light was difficult, and she was fairly sure she had failed. They weren't bad places, just old. He'd see himself though, and she was grateful once again that his first proper introduction to everything that was out there would be in the controlled environment of the school. She didn't want to tell him what people typically thought of werewolves… she just prayed her students had learned enough in this school year to give him a chance.

All three of them were silently absorbed in thought as they walked, although Carter's were perhaps a little less intense. While Ms. Bustier fretted over how best to control the introduction of Nino to the classroom and Nino anxiously worried over what exactly everyone was going to think of him Carter was more preoccupied with the path ahead. His collar was very jingly and while normally that didn't bother him he was apparently supposed to keep a low profile. Nino had warned him a dozen times while he was being forced into taking a bath that there were going to be a lot of things they weren't used to in the place they were going. Carter was not allowed to be aggressive or defensive in the slightest or he'd get in a lot of trouble with his boy. It was made extremely clear to him that even if he thought with all his heart something was a threat he wasn't allowed to react. Carter had eventually agreed to this on the condition of if Nino was attacked he was allowed to get involved and Nino had agreed to this because the deer woman had assured him that he was safe and he wouldn't be hurt, and Carter had allowed it because he liked the deer woman. She smelled nice and fed him, and she made Nino feel better in a way Carter hadn't been capable of. She had made him feel safe and fed him, comforting him with all the things Carter couldn't understand, and while he felt wretchedly guilty that he couldn't do those things himself he was extremely grateful that she had appeared to do it for him.

Carter continued to be irritated with his jingly collar for the rest of the walk, knowing even before Nino had signaled him to stop that they had arrived. He could tell.

Carter sat down slowly with his side pressed against Nino's leg, the two of them stood square in front of a large unassuming set of steps leading towards a large unassuming building. To Carter it might have passed for just another human place, but something gave it away. It was a quietly, flickering surge of energy, wrapped around the outside of it and soaking into the steps. It made the fur on Carter's back stand up, his posture tense as Nino started talking in a quiet voice to the woman. She was gesturing at the building and Nino was looking at her, but Carter kept an unmoving lock on the doors.

There was something about the building…

"-a deterrent," Ms. Bustier had been explaining, looking towards the large front entrance of the school. "The enchantment keeps humans away and allows us to have our school in the middle of the city. To them it's just a school that they have no reason to investigate, the spell influencing them only enough to let the building pass from their notice. Even if they got passed the enchantment on the steps they'd never be able to pass through the doors, no human without an explicit pass can enter."

"Right," Nino said quietly, looking at the floor and shifting his weight nervously from foot to foot. He looked over to see that Carter was stiffly at attention, staring with razor focus at the doors. As he had asked the dog wasn't barking or making a fuss, but it was clear that it was only Nino's strict instructions to behave that kept him in check.

Ms. Bustier was quiet for a moment, her hands folded in front of her as she watched the young boy.

"Class is currently in session," she explained after a time, her voice gentle. "There is likely to be no one in the halls, though we should go in now. The lunch hour will be soon, and passing through everyone at once may be uncomfortable for you."

"We should go now," Nino answered immediately, the thought of wading through a packed hallway of monsters so thoroughly putting him on edge that he'd walk in alone if it meant not dealing with that right away. Ms. B seemed to have expected that, nodding once and already walking forward.

"We'll be going to see Mr. Damocles first," she explained as they started up the steps together, Carter staying very close by Nino's side and on high alert. Nino was staring at the doors with a tense expression, nodding to show he had heard though he didn't reply. She got to the top first, putting a hand on the door handle but looking back at him first, as if hoping for him to acknowledge that he was ready to enter.

She smiled proudly at him when he nodded again, his fist tight around Carter's leash but his posture otherwise determined. He was incredibly brave and trying his best, just like he had promised.

Without further ado Ms. Bustier opened the front door, opening it and stepping aside to let Nino follow in behind her.

Carter entered first, standing in front of Nino with his tail out straight behind him. Carter was sniffing at the air, half focused on the building and half focused on his boy, who stepped forward with a shiver and allowed the door to shut behind him.

Nino shook himself a little, trying to throw off the weird feeling crossing through the threshold had given him, chalking it up to the magic barrier Ms. B has described as he quickly assessed his surroundings. Admittedly, he was a little surprised at how… normal it looked.

It was just a school, the entrance at least looking exceptionally like district buildings he had always known and not entirely unlike his old school. What really gave it away was the smell. Nino genuinely could not place about 90% of what he was getting, and the unfamiliarity made him swallow nervously.

Madame Bustier had been waiting patiently, allowing him to adjust before he nodded again, silently acknowledging that it was okay for her to take the lead. After taking an extra moment to assure he was alright she started to walk again, going slowly to allow the boys to look around.

Nino stayed close to the teacher, his skin prickling uncomfortably at how exposed the open courtyard made him feel. It was a large square shaped space surrounded by a balcony like second level that looked like it held classrooms. He felt a little better when they turned, sticking to the side of the courtyard and working their way towards a staircase that lead up the same side of the building they had entered, Ms. Bustier speaking quietly to them as they walked. Carter dutifully marched up the steps beside Nino, sniffing each step as they did.

"My classroom is just down there," she informed him, pointing out the classroom she meant. "You'll have me for homeroom as well as a most of your other classes seeing as I teach most of what you'll be taking. You'll only have two other teachers that you go to daily, and you'll get the chance to meet them first. We're doing this at your pace, I hardly expect you to be taking my tests right away, and I'll ensure Ms. Mendeleev doesn't as well. She's the only one who might try."

"Thank you," he said genuinely, attempting a smile when she looked back at him again. She seemed pleased with the effort.

'Are you sure this is alright?' Carter asked him with a whine, Nino looking down at the dog as they reached the landing.

"It's okay buddy," he assured him, petting him as they made a right and headed towards an unassuming door. "I'm here with you. We're good."

The small group came to a stop, Carter's tail held out anxiously behind him as Nino balled up the extra length of the leash in his hands.

"This is the principal's office," Ms. Bustier announced, standing in front of it and giving him one more encouraging smile before stepping forward to knock. Nino swallowed again, reminding himself to just chill out and that everything was going to be cool. This might all be bizarre and awful but it didn't have to be and everything was going to be cool. This was the best option. This was the _only_ option that ended with him having a place to stay and maybe him not hating himself and what he had become. Meeting the principal was step one.

He heard something sort of weird after Ms. Bustier's knock rang out, like a loud shuffling of feathers, but after a short silence he jumped at the deep, firm voice of a man calling from inside.

"Come in!" he called out, the fact that he was in another room entirely irrelevant thanks to Nino's unnervingly good hearing nowadays. Nino waited for Ms. B to open the door, holding Carter close to his side as he stepped in with the teacher standing behind him.

The office was simple, the sort of thing you'd expect from a principal's office although perhaps a little nicer. He didn't imagine many public school offices had a view quiet like he did, a large window looking over Paris dominating the back wall. Nino was aware of odd, out of place trinkets and chests and things in the corner of his vision, but he remained focused on the large undeniably owlish man who stood behind the desk.

The man was dressed professionally in a brown suit, his hair varying shades of gray and his eyes an unnervingly bright yellow. With the eyes and his brow, he really looked like the spitting image of an owl somehow made a man, and Nino suspiciously remembered the sound of feathers before he was distracted by the man approaching him, holding out a strong hand.

"Hello young man," he said as he shook his hand, tone serious and impeccably professional. "I am Headmaster Damocles, principal of this fine school."

"H-hello, sir," Nino said uncertainly, clearly out of depths. "I'm Nino. Thank you for uh, well…" he wasn't very sure what he was thanking him for, suddenly unsure of the man's involvement but generally feeling like he owed everybody something.

The owlish man raised an eyebrow, letting his question trail. "Nino…?"

"Lahiffe, sir," he supplied, using both hands to twist the leash he was holding. He glanced down at Carter at about the same time the principal did, quickly explaining, "This is my dog, his name is Carter. He's just a dog but uh, he's mine."

Carter was sitting obediently, genuinely trying to restrain himself from sniffing the hell out of the new man's pant leg. He shifted a little, determined to behave, but this man was giving him the same weird feeling the deer woman had, and, though he'd never admit it, the same feeling he had gotten from Nino ever since he found him again. The silent feeling that this person was different.

Mr. Damocles stared at the dog for a moment, his expression stern and unreadable, but when he looked back to Nino he was nodding.

"This is a difficult time for you, I'm sure. Having a 'service dog' of sorts to help you adjust is wise. I expect you to clean up after him however, and under no circumstances let it harass the students here."

"He won't sir, I promise. He's promised to behave."

Mr. Damocles raised an eyebrow again, seemingly the only readable gesture this man's face was capable of making, and he looked passed Nino to Ms. Bustier as if expecting an explanation for something.

"Werewolves are capable of limited communication with canines," she explained from her place by the door. "He is able to speak with Carter and has conveyed to him that being obedient is important while on campus."

Nino looked over his shoulder at her a little surprised, looking back to Mr. Damocles in time to see him nod and step back towards his desk. It hadn't occurred to him that there would be some things about werewolves that not everyone knew, he was sort of hoping everyone would be able to tell him what was up. But then again, he didn't know everything about everything but that didn't mean the knowledge didn't exist. It had been a little childish to assume everyone was a werewolf expert, like, they had monster school for a reason.

"We have made preparations for you," Mr. Damocles was suddenly speaking, looking through a series of papers. They were covered with marks and things that didn't even remotely look like letters, but he seemed to glean something from them. "We have quite a few empty classrooms, seeing as our school is still newly established we haven't been able to utilize all the space we have. Upon hearing that we could expect you as a new student we set one aside and outfitted it for you to stay in. We will make a few accommodations for your dog as well, seeing as it will be staying with you. However, I express again that it must behave." He lifted one of the papers close to his face, peering at it and nodding to himself before looking back to Nino. "The costs of your education will be provided by the school, considering your circumstances. We exist to better the lives of children from all realms, including this one. There will be no expectation for you to pay us back or make payments of any kind for the duration of your education, however you will be expected to do your absolute best in your classes."

Nino blinked once, a surge of gratitude cutting through him as he said, "Yes sir, thank you sir."

The man nodded, actually smiling at him. For a moment Nino thought he detected pity in his eyes, but it was really more like a sadness. Ms. B had said a lot of people had pre-existing notions about other creatures. It seemed that, at the very least among adults, the general assessment for young werewolves was something along the lines of, ' _This poor boy…'_

The adults talked for a moment, Ms. Bustier stepping around him to quietly ask her boss a question while Carter nudged Nino's leg. The dog was asking for a brief synopsis of what was going on, and Nino knelt down to give it in a hushed voice, aware of Mr. Damocles watching him as he did.

Carter was being very good, eagerly using his time where he finally had Nino's attention to tell him, 'Bird!', which unfortunately Nino had already deduced. He listened while Nino explained in simple terms that they were going to live at the school, and that Carter was supposed to be a good boy while on campus. He sullenly reminded Nino that he was _always_ a good boy, thank you kindly, and Nino was actually laughing a little when Mr. Damocles called for his attention.

"Yes sir?" he answered quickly, standing up and looking to Ms. B for a moment to assess her expression. To his relief she still seemed pleased, smiling a little.

"On suggestion from Ms. Bustier you will also receive an allowance, however that will be determined after you've settled in. Class will be letting out for lunch soon, so it would be best if you went with her now so as not to be caught in the rush. She will show you to your room, and you can both decide together how you would like your introduction to go. Caline," he said, turning to address the teacher directly, "I will assume that I will continue handling your class for you, should you wish to stay with him and provide him some individual instruction on what to expect."

"Thank you sir," she said with a smile, stepping away from him and heading towards the door, in a little bit of a rush now. "Come on Nino, I'll show you your room. We best go quickly."

"Yes mam'," he answered immediately, moving Carter forward as she opened the door for them. However, he took the extra moment to look turn towards the principal and somewhat bow his head and shoulders, the gesture coming naturally as a sign of respect though he couldn't recall ever having done it in his previous life. "Thank you," he said again, and was happy to see the man smiling when he looked up again.

"And thank you, for joining us," Mr. Damocles responded, repeating the gesture in a way that made Nino very happy, noting with a strange tingle in his spine that should he have a tail it would have likely been wagging.

Nino turned back towards the door, glancing down once to check he actually didn't have one and sighing in relief when he found that he didn't, stepping out quickly with Carter and Ms. Bustier. He had discovered that non-human emotions made him feel… less stable, less together, and were usually accompanied by a shifting sensation in his spine. He was very quick to lock it down, only breathing evenly again when the sensation subsided.

Ms. Bustier was ahead of him, Carter tugging at the leash and dragging Nino back to the present as the small team walked quickly over the second level. Nino picked up the pace just a tad when he became aware of voices from the classrooms to his right, realizing once again that he was in a school of creatures he had never known existed. He could hear the shifting of paper and passing unintelligible conversations, sounding to all the world like typical classroom ambiance. With just a little twist…

Nino focused on the things he knew, the jingling of Carter's collar the only completely familiar noise and it helped him relax a little. He could hear the murmur of the classes pick up, everyone preparing for the bell to ring for lunch most likely, but he just focused on following Ms. Bustier, and the consistent jingling of the collar.

Though they ended up cutting it a little close, Nino was out of sight inside of a typically unused classroom far into the school by the time the bell rang, and the hallways were flooded with things he didn't understand. He didn't look, not that many people were in his hallway seeing as it was reserved for unused classrooms. Still though, he could hear the chatter, and knew it would only be a very short time more before he would be out there too.

First day of monster school…

This ought to be fun.


	7. Chapter 7

Nino was sitting in silence with his legs hanging over the edge of his new bed, a student roster that had been made for him in his hands. He read through the list again, trying to loosely picture what any of Ms. Bustier's added notations next to each name could really mean and not having much to show for it. He had heard stories about _some_ of these things, but that didn't mean his mental imaginings were very accurate.

'Nino?'

Nino looked down at hearing his name, made with the audible sound of a quiet huff, to find Carter sitting quietly in front of him.

"Yeah bud?" he answered, holding the paper with one hand and patting the bed with the other in a gesture for Carter to join him, which the canine quickly did. Nino would rather the bed smell like dog than dust and detergent like it currently did. As was the case with many of the things in his 'bedroom' it felt like it had been appropriated from something else. A bed from the nurse's office replaced with a slightly better cushion, a school cabinet hastily outfitted with a few extra shelves to serve as… a dresser perhaps? A desk for his own uses, an empty trunk that smelt weirdly of chemicals for storage and a loose couch cushion that had been given to him for Carter to sleep on. The rest of the space was opened up by pushing all the student desks and things it held originally up against one wall, a whole load of them stacked up on top of each other a little precariously.

Carter looked up at his before wagging his tail and wiggling his way under one arm to half lay in his lap, sniffing at the paper though it meant nothing to him before glancing at the door and then back to his boy.

'Where did the deer woman go?'

"She's setting up for class I think…"

As soon as he said it Nino felt a wave of unease, his chest feeling tight before suddenly, there was Carter again, wiggling further into his lap and demanding to be pet. Nino couldn't help but chuckle, Carter having been exceptionally needy ever since they made it back to their new home in an effort to distract him.

Nino humored him, ruffing up the fur behind his ears as he looked around again. It still felt distinctly like a classroom, all the things that had been added for him sort of weirdly out of place. The bed was up against the wall where the white board was, his 'dresser' and other furniture stacked up in what would be the equivalent of the front of the classroom. The door was on the far side from him, providing anyone looking in with only a view of stacked desks, which he was grateful for. Along the wall to his left were several large windows, letting sunlight pour in from outside and capable of being opened though he didn't. It was alright… just didn't really feel like a place to live, and his previous night in it had been… unpleasant. It was extremely quiet and unsettling to be in a school after dark… especially one as different as this. He only slept at all because of his exhaustion, but even then his anxiety was enough to only let him catch at most a half hour of rest at a time. He had spent almost all of his time in there sitting, staring at nothing and fighting to hold himself together. Often somewhat… literally.

After a moment Nino nervously ran a tongue over his teeth, cursing and grinding them together when it caught on a few too sharp edges. He tried to breathe evenly, deeply unnerved by what he had found the easiest thing to change should he become too agitated.

He had no desire to find out what changed next if he failed to keep it together.

Nino couldn't help but sigh, looking back at the roster of his classmates and getting lost again in how… totally insane this was. Seriously? A _mummy?_

Ms. Bustier had wanted him to have some sort of idea of what to expect, so she had made a copy of her attendance sheet for him when she had left to add him to it. When she came back she had sat with him in the early hours of the morning, pulling over one of the student's chairs and leaning towards the bed for him to see as she marked things down. She had come into work exceptionally early to help him, and together they had slowly worked through the list, the teacher writing the species of each student next to their name as they went. Without those little notations it looked just like a completely normal class roster, but the added classifications marked smartly in red pen added a little depth to it.

Sphinx, mummy, _wood_ nymph which was apparently different from other nymphs? Whatever a nymph was. Magma Golem, which hardly sounded safe but whatever, a wind elemental, a _necromancer_ which yes, was actually a magic user who specialized in raising the dead. There were three dead people in the class actually, one was the mummy. The other two were something that had been described to him through the analogy of Frankenstein's monster and just a straight up _ghost_ which was, freaking… god damn it…

A pair of people which were just another two variations of magic users, one being labeled as plainly as 'witch' even though the other had a more specific classification, and it was actually a little reassuring which was… stupid. Another was another magic user sort of, but apparently worked a lot through science too and was, apparently, responsible for the Frankenstein's monster type dealio he also had as a classmate. So, the mad scientist really, though Ms. B refused to call him that. Then there were another two which he had no idea what they were, a _kitsune_ and a _cat sidhe_. Those two meant nothing to him and made him groan aloud in agitation.

"This is _stupid!"_ he shouted aloud suddenly, spooking Carter a little as he collapsed backwards onto his bed and threw the paper away from him. His dog scrambled to stand and padded over to his face, trying to ask him something but it just upset him more, the boy turning onto his face and swinging his legs up to lay properly on the bed.

This was freaking **stupid**. He was seriously supposed to attend a class with three _dead people_ and a handful of things that shouldn't even be freaking possible? Wasn't a sphinx a god damn lion woman? **_Seriously_**?

Nino was waiting for it to all be a joke, for someone to jump out of his cabinet/dresser and say "Haha! It was all a ruse and you can go home now! Man we sure got you!"

But that didn't happen, and it wouldn't.

"What do you even learn in monster school," he muttered aloud wretchedly, being dramatic but not overly so. In all fairness, he was utterly justified. He knew that the course material had been vaguely explained to him but it really hadn't sunk in, how could it? Magic? It was like Hogwarts and the Monster Mash had a ridiculously unstable baby.

'Nino?' Carter asked with a whine, anxiously wiggling his way underneath one of Nino's arms in an attempt to pry him up. 'Are you okay? What's wrong?'

"What Hogwarts house am I in?" Nino continued to spout nonsensically, pretty thoroughly in the realms of hysteria now. "Does that determine my homeroom? I can't do this Carter; this is so insane. This isn't fair."

'I don't understand,' Carter whined desperately, feeling some sort of relief when Nino finally sat up enough to hug him.

"I can't do this…" Nino muttered again, holding Carter a little too tightly but the dog didn't complain, Nino burying his face in the fur on Carter's neck and knocked his miss-sized, borrowed glasses free. He barely registered the fact that they had fallen, only the sound of them clattering to the ground and cracking enough to jar him.

Nino twisted a little around Carter, looking down to see that yeah, they had actually broken.

"Oh _great_ ," Nino spat harshly, pulling away now and moving to his knees. Carter made to move but Nino pinned him down with one hand, not wanting him to step on any wayward pieces of glass should he jump down. Nino reached over the edge and grabbed the glasses that weren't even properly his, a colorful string of expletives the only audible sound for a moment before Carter was alert, sitting up as much as he could with Nino holding him down.

'Deer!' Carter explained with a bark, wiggling again but Nino held him firm, looking even more put out as he turned towards the door.

Sure enough, Carter was right. Now that he was focusing he could hear it too, approaching from down the hallway. The steady clicks of hooves told him who it was.

"This isn't fair…" he whispered to himself, swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he would be facing forward and sitting when she came in. He held his broken glasses in his hands, releasing Carter now that he knew there was no glass on the floor but wondering if that was the right move when Carter leapt off the bed and ran for the door.

'Deer woman?' Carter asked, his posture still stiff and agitated as he padded anxiously in place near the door. 'Deer woman?'

"Carter get away from the door," Nino ordered, his voice sounding kind of… worn out. He played with the arms of the glasses, folding them with a quiet click then opening them again. He was aware of that same, rattled numbness that settled whenever he was forced to function coming over him, letting his eyes trail down to trace the spider web cracks in the lenses.

It wasn't fair… but it's how it was. This was still the best option. He had to… find some way to operate. If feeling numb was the only way to do that then… well. So be it.

He let his frustration and hysteria take a back seat, shutting it down as Carter obeyed him and backed up a little from the door. He heard her stop just outside, the clops of Ms. Bustier's hooves easy to hear as she shifted in place, opening the door and letting herself in after a gentle knock.

He didn't look up right away when she walked in, staring down at the glasses without really seeing them as she slowly approached him.

She didn't speak for a moment, fidgeting with something in her hands. It sounded like something soft, and it made sense when she suddenly spoke up to say, "I've brought you a backpack. It has what you'll need."

Nino looked up, seeing the simple leather messenger bag held in her hands. His gaze trailed passed it, focusing on the invisible seam between her deer half and her human half for a second or so before he remembered himself, looking down again.

"Thank you."

"Of course."

She was quiet.

Nino didn't look up again, having a loose enough grasp on the hour to know that when she left this time he'd be expected to go with her. Students would start arriving soon.

"Did you break your glasses?" she asked quietly, looking at the object held in his hands. It was clear that she didn't really know what to say to make any of this better for him, she had said all that she could think of. And since he wasn't really sure what he even wanted to hear, he took the small talk angle.

"Yeah," he muttered plainly, holding them up a little for her to see. "Dropped 'em."

"We can have them fixed," she explained with a soft smile in her voice, but when he looked up he saw that the expression didn't reach her eyes. She was worried.

"Thank you," he said again, his own voice… burdened.

He was worried too.

"It'll be alright Nino," she couldn't help but say, wanting to somehow attempt to put him at ease. "I promise you it will be alright. You might even have fun." As she said this last statement she stepped forward, closing the distance between them and setting the bag on the sheets beside him.

"Is it time to go?" he asked nervously, looking at the bag like taking it meant there really was no turning back. However, logically he knew… he couldn't really turn back now anyways.

"Yes…" she answered him softly, sounding almost regretful that it was the case but she shook it off, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to speak firmly. When she spoke again her voice was much more cheerful, attempting to put as positive a spin on it as possible. "I have you sitting in the front! I know young people normally like to loiter in the back but I think it will be good for you, you'll learn more that way. And also, I put you next to someone who I think you'll get along with. He's a sweet boy, a little excitable but he's kind. You'll like him I'm sure of it. It would be good for you to make friends."

Nino looked up at her a little skeptically, his gaze drifting to the discarded class roster that Carter was now sitting on to hide it from view like a good boy. Surely the shepherd had assumed that Nino throwing it was bad and was protecting him, and despite how nervous he was it actually made him smile.

"Who…?" Nino asked without really finishing the thought, running through what names he remembered in his head though he had mostly been focusing on the species classifications.

"His name is Adrien," Ms. B supplied helpfully, smiling at him as if she was proud of him for engaging. No doubt she would be watching all day in hopes of him getting chatty with Dr. Frankenstein and friends. "He sits up front as well and has had an empty seat next to him for a while. He's very friendly, he can sort of be disruptive too but, well-," she stopped her thought, probably finding it unprofessional and refocusing herself. "At any rate, he's personable."

Adrien… yeah, he recognized that name. Adrien Agreste. It came first on the list alphabetically, but to Nino's dismay he was one of the two things he hadn't recognized even remotely, a cat sidhe. So, he really wasn't sure what he was getting into there.

"Cool…" he muttered, sighing a little as he put on his glasses. The cracks didn't cut _right_ through the eye-line so it was bearable, but the prescription had been whack anyways so he was wondering if he'd be better off just not using them entirely. After a moment he looked back to the messenger bag beside him, noting from the way it lay that it had at least a few books in it.

He wasn't ready, even remotely, but he didn't really have any other plans of action. Admittedly some small part of him was morbidly curious, but even with that curiosity he highly doubted he'd ever wander willfully into a class of whatever the hell were his circumstances different. And as he tried to steady his heart beat and force the sharpness of his teeth to return to normal, he darkly wondered if any of them were really the biggest threat in the room.

He waited until he was totally stable, burying his budding hysteria and fear as deep down inside himself as he could before reaching out and taking the bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder. He considered moving his sleeveless jacket somewhat in an attempt to hide his scar but… after a moment he did the opposite, shifting it so it was exposed. He couldn't lie to any of these guys, they knew what it was. He might as well come out clean, and hope that they gave him some sort of slack in return.

Eventually he stood, sighing deeply before giving Ms. Bustier a small, hesitant smile. Ms. B smiled back, nodding her head in approval before gesturing to Carter, and Nino took the signal to cross to his 'dresser' and grab Carter's leash.

"Thanks again for letting me take him to class," he said in a quiet voice, naturally subdued somewhat in an effort to stay calm. He roughed up Carter's fur affectionately as he attached the leash, rubbing some dirt from his nametag with a thumb and letting himself smile when Carter licked his face.

"We knew that he'd help you," Ms. Bustier responded gently, smiling still when he stood before her, ready to go now. She backed up a little, turning slightly towards the door. "Shall we go?"

Nino hesitated, looking from the Cervitaur to the door to his dog, before finally, he nodded. First day of school… he was as ready as he could be, he supposed. And by that he meant, not ready at all, but they were already walking.

'Class?' Carter asked, waiting until they were in the hallway and Nino was locking the door behind them before nudging his boy. The shepherd was alert, aware of how tense Nino was as they followed the deer woman out of their hallway for the first time since they had arrived. They had only left their room so far to pee, and while Carter really didn't like figuring out how to pee in the bowls it was clearly a better alternative to wandering the school looking for a bit of grass, at least for now.

"Yeah buddy," Nino answered in a low voice, Ms. B looking behind her when she heard him speak but turning forward again upon realizing he wasn't talking to her. Nino twisted the leash again around his fist, reminding Carter, "No barking alright? Just stay with me. This is gonna be sort of weird…"

'No barking,' Carter agreed, the dog holding his head high in a firm, determined posture akin to a police dog. Despite this professionalism though his tail still wagged a little, and Nino smiled. 'I don't know these smells,' Carter said again, pulling away from Nino a little as they got closer to the populated parts of the school. A few students were early.

Nino was quick to pull him back, listening carefully and examining the smells too as he walked, not sniffing nearly as obviously as Carter was but just breathing through his nose.

"Yeah…" Nino agreed, looking around. He was struck again by how _normal_ it looked, the hallways and water fountains and things basically the same as they should be. "I'm not sure we'll ever know _all_ of them."

'I can!' Carter informed him, looking up at his boy and looking pleased to inform him of this. 'I'll learn all of them. Then you won't have to.'

Nino couldn't help chuckling a little, shaking his head before saying, "Thanks."

'You're welcome.'

Nino let the conversation drop for the moment, recognizing the open space of the courtyard on the far end of the hallway they were walking down. He could hear a few people up ahead, a couple of early risers already on campus though school couldn't be starting for another fifty minutes or so. Well actually, maybe that wasn't all that early, maybe he had just always been late as heck to school before.

Nino was contemplating the fact that he probably couldn't ever fake being sick to not go to school now that he actually _lived_ at the school he was attending, and how that sort of sucked, but he was drawn from his thoughts by Carter nudging him again.

'Nino,' he started, trotting a little ahead of him to more easily look up at him. 'Will we know anyone in class?'

"Ms. B will be there," Nino explained, frowning at Carter's confused expression before checking how far ahead of him Ms. Bustier was walking and leaning down to whisper, "You know, deer woman. She'll be there."

'Good!' Carter barked, looking pleased. Ms. Bustier looked over her shoulder and smiled, and Nino was really really hoping that it was at Carter's bark and not because she had heard what he called her when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Caline!" came a sharp call, grabbing the groups attention about twenty feet short of the main courtyard. Ms. Bustier stopped, holding out a hand so Nino would do the same before looking around for the source and happily calling out in return.

"Irène! Oh, Nino," she said suddenly, turning to the boy who was also searching for the source of the voice but stopped when she referred to him. "This is good actually, this is one of your teachers. It would be good for you to meet her now."

"Is this the young werewolf?" the new voice said bluntly, making him bristle a little in discomfort as he turned to look at the new comer for the first time. The female voice was just saying, "So you must be my newest student," when he actually caught sight of her.

He barely, _barely_ cut off the scream, like **_barely_**. She was still at a slight distance, approaching them from an intersecting hallway she must have been stalking down. You couldn't say walking, you couldn't really _walk_ with talons, and to say she strutted would be inaccurate. Harpies hardly strutted.

"Nino, this is Ms. Mendeliev," Ms. Bustier introduced his teacher, both professionals aware of the fact that he was as tightly wound as a piano wire but giving him a little room for error. Though the second teacher hardly looked as nurturing or as kind as Ms. Bustier, she _did_ stop a short distance away to give him some space.

Carter was very clearly giving him the 'Can I bark _now?_ ' look but Nino ignored it, trying to regain his composure as quickly as possibly by assessing the woman in her entirety. She was scary, her lack of arms and possession of wings each longer than he was tall somehow not getting in the way of the fact that she wore a labcoat over her torso, the long white of the coat open against the jet black yet eerily dark purple feathers that coated her avian like lower body. The talons that supported her could effortlessly rip him apart, so he focused on her face which was reassuringly human… well. 'Reassuring.' She looked about as approachable as her bird-of-prey body implied, but it _was_ human. Her chin was sharper then her talons and her hair was an unnatural dark purple that somehow… worked. It stuck up in a bunch of directions as she leaned forward to peer at him over the tops of her glasses.

Oh yeah he should probably respond.

"H- uh," he faltered, swallowing once and gripping Carter's leash like a lifeline. "Hello, Mam'."

He flinched a little when she shifted her wings, coming a little closer now that he had acknowledged her. She didn't look particularly nice but at least she was being considerate of the fact that she was probably freaking him out.

"Hello young man," she addressed him, nodding her head in greeting instead of a handshake that would have clearly been impossible. He returned the gesture a little shakily, and she was entertained that his dog did the same. She looked him over for a moment before saying, "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you before class, at least this way you can adjust a little." She reached up, using the bendy elbow (shoulder?) like part of her wing to fix her glasses, which had been sliding down her sharp nose, in a surprisingly smooth motion. She fixed him with her gaze again. "I've been made aware of your situation and have been asked not to assign you homework for today, however don't expect the same treatment tomorrow." She ignored Ms. Bustier's huff and kept talking, speaking firmly. "Our greatest weapon against uncertainty is knowledge, so I expect you to pay attention and learn everything you can. Given the nature of your enrollment here I would find it appropriate that you be my finest student, so I look forward to teaching you."

Nino could only nod again, looking at the floor (and her talons) seeing as he had no idea what else to say. Ms. M turned to Ms. Bustier, fixing her wings as she said, "Caline, Mr. Damocles just stopped by my room to inform me that we'll both be trading off teaching his ground education this week and next until he has the basics. I have business in the mornings so I told him you'd take the early A.M slot and I'd teach him after school."

"Oh… did you," Ms. Bustier answered dully, clearly a little miffed to have been blatantly assigned earlier hours by her co-worker, but with one glance to the side at Nino she decided to deal with it, for his sake. "Well that's alright, tell Mr. Damocles next you see him that that's fine with me. However, we should get going."

"Of course," the harpy said sharply, acting as if stopping to talk to them had been an inconvenience as it was. 'Sharp' really was the best way to describe her, whether it was her tone, attitude, talons or chin. Nino didn't much like her, but that didn't mean he was going to screw around in her class.

With their conversation concluded the teacher stalked away, continuing down the direction she had been heading and giving a sour look to Carter as she did. The dog, to his credit, did not bark or growl, but he still huffed and shook himself like he was shaking off her negative vibes.

'She's bad,' Carter said plainly, not liking the tone or attitude of that scary bird woman at all, but Nino didn't respond to his comment.

"Well," Ms. Bustier said with a tone of finality and a slight huff, "we should get to class."

With that the Cervitaur continued on her way, Nino and Carter following dutifully behind her. Nino wasn't really sure if he should feel _better_ for having met her or worse, because he wasn't sure if that was the worst thing he'd see all day or only the beginning. He liked to think he got the worst thing out of the way first, and was feeling a little more confident about dealing with magic users and mummies now. Least they weren't harpies.

On that note though, Nino picked up the pace a little to walk alongside his much nicer teacher, looking up at her as he asked, "Ms. B? Does everyone else know I'm coming?"

"Yes," she informed him, smiling at him in an effort to make that seem like a good thing. "Mr. Damocles told my students that they'd be having someone new in class today. I believe he also told them about Carter and they've been asked not to pet him without permission."

"Oh, good," Nino responded, a little surprised but glad for the that. Carter had promised to be good but if a zombie up and touched him out of nowhere he probably wouldn't be down with that.

Nino let it end at that, though that hadn't answered his real intent behind the question, which was to ask ' _Do they know I'm a werewolf?'_ but he didn't want to clarify. As he walked he looked nervously at his shoulder and saw how apparent it was but he didn't cover it, sticking to his earlier sentiment. No point hiding it here.

When they finally made it to the courtyard Nino saw that it was populated sparsely, looking over the edge and feeling cold sweat on the back of his neck before looking away. He had only glanced down for a second but… ha. Man.

Today was gonna be long…

'Snakes!' Carter informed him, sniffing at the ground and excited to pick out something he could name, though Nino doubted it was just a snake that had left its smell behind. From what brief glance he allowed himself he realized _nothing_ was going to be simple or straight forward. He'd kill to see and actual snake right about then.

Nino straightened his back, not wanting to shrink in on himself or only stare at the floor as he followed Ms. B, even if that what he genuinely would prefer to do all day. This was going to be nuts and probably really upsetting, he just needed to deal with it and he was going to do it with his head high if possible. Still though, he was insanely glad once again that Carter was going with him.

He stopped abruptly, Carter bashing into his legs while Nino tried to not do the same to Ms. Bustier, who had stopped suddenly herself to unlock her classroom door. She was muttering something as she did, a series of words he didn't catch or understand but she only muttered for a moment before she fished out an actually lanyard of keys to work with.

Magic maybe. Whatever.

"You can wait in the room with me until class starts," Ms. Bustier suddenly said over her shoulder, swinging the door open and heading inside. "Or you can explore the campus, but I'd understand if you weren't comfortable with that yet."

Nino followed behind her, saying something simple and mumbled like, "Maybe tomorrow…" before she flicked on the lights, and suddenly he was much more absorbed with looking around him.

"Welcome!" she said warmly, trotting away with a somewhat muffled clatter thanks to the stretch of rug at the front of the room. "This is my classroom; you'll be spending a lot of time in here. Feel free to poke around while I set things up."

Nino didn't respond, dropping Carter's leash since the shepherd was tugging so sharply at it, eager to sniff around himself and looking up once to see if Nino would allow it before darting away, leash trailing after him. They were contained in the classroom now that the door was shut so Nino wasn't too worried about it, and he was admittedly much more focused on looking around.

It was… kind of awesome.

It was _big_ , much bigger inside then he would have given it credit for. The floors were weirdly different than any of the hallways or his own classroom/room which had come off as the most like a normal classroom to him. Ms. Bustier's had clearly been modified, dark wood floors paneling the whole room. Every desk and bench and book case was another type of tasteful darkwood furniture, the desk scuffed and worn and burned oddly in places. Each desk was cluttered with books and pages and pens kept in etched troughs at the edge closest to the students, like the class just stood up and walked out at the end of the day and the classroom was left in the middle of a moment. It gave everything an odd sense of motion, like they were really right in the middle of something and class was constantly in session.

As he walked forward and looked around he saw cuts and ink stains and all sorts giving life and history to a classroom that had supposed only been used for two years, and it was altogether much closer to what he had been dramatically picturing in his head. Metal and glass magic looking contraptions reached out from the ceiling and caught the light of the tall arched windows of stone walls, something that would have been much more at home in a castle then a modern looking school building. Bookshelves of every height and build reached up the walls on the right side but didn't crowd things, two rows with four of those flat table-like desks each staggering all the way to the back, each one at a slightly higher level than the last so everyone could see the teacher. The space between the rows was large, and the spaces on either side as well, and Nino could actually picture a Cervitaur comfortable walking around them, talking about other worlds and the things that lived there.

"Cool…" he said aloud, turning slowly and looking at how alive and unique it felt, his 'hogwarts' comparison from before coming to mind as he started to chuckle to himself. Seriously, it felt like Defense Against the Dark Arts in here.

If Ms. Bustier heard him she made no comment, looking up and smiling every once and awhile from her custom, chair-less teachers desk at the front of the room to watch Carter dark around, sniffing everything. Her own desk was cluttered with things Nino likely had never even considered before, and she was thinking about calling him over to show him when she heard him speak up, his tone _very_ confused.

"Trees?" he asked loudly, and when she looked up she saw that he had made his way to the windows, staring outside and leaning as close to the glass as he could without touching it. She watched as the boy looked left and right, and tried to keep from laughing as he whirled to face her incredulously.

"We're in the middle of Paris?" he stated like a question, gesturing to the window. "But forest?"

"We are _technically_ still in Paris," she clarified, her use of the word 'technically' clearly not helping as he stared out of the window again, so she continued. "I'm sure you've noticed this room is hardly built similarly to the rest of the building."

"Yeah?" he asked slowly, still staring outside. He didn't see anything that looked remotely like Paris out there.

"Well, to explain briefly," she stated simply, gesturing to the space around her when her new student looked back to her. "My room can best be described as a pocket, most used classrooms here are. Our purposes usually require unique resources, and certain protections. Think of the door to my classroom as _our_ door. If you entered with just the key you'd end up in a classroom that looks exactly like the one that you now use as a bedroom. However, if you unlock it with the key _and_ the spell, you get to the real classroom and open it to all others who follow. It's a useless precaution really," she said with a wave of the hand, looking around her room fondly, "but it allows for my personal touches. This way I can have a classroom more suited to my particular needs as a teacher. This room _does_ exist in Paris; however, you don't see Paris when you look outside because it exists in a pocket between realms. What you see when you look outside is actually the FarLands, but were you to stand firmly within the FarLands you would not find this classroom no matter where you looked, because it exists between, not _in_. You can only get to it through the human realm, and even then you can only get to it with the proper spell."

Nino gaped, looking back out the window at the discovery that it was actually another **world**. A whole other realm, like _actually_. He knew people kept saying that like that existed but _there it was_. It looked _wild_ , deep massive forests stretching out towards the horizon and huge, distant mountains. He was standing in a room that existed _between_ two realms.

"What…" he tried to ask, his question falling short so he shook his head and tried again, still staring intently into the other world. "What happens if you were to like, jump out the window. Would you fall into the forest? Or Paris? Or nothing?"

"Paris," she answered simply, looking down when she noticed Carter had come over to say hello. She smiled and patted her flank to signal it was alright for him to stand with his paws against her, allowing her to pet him as she continued. "This classroom is accessible through the human realm so you can argue its more firmly rooted there, since that is its origin. You'd fall through a space of nothing for a moment before being dropped back into the human realm, though it would still be the equivalent of a second story so I recommend not trying it."

"Wasn't planning on it," he replied, his voice still stunned and distant as he stared out in awe. That was totally _nuts_. And… really awesome.

He could feel it, sort of, just for a moment. He relished it, held onto it like it was fragile. For just a second, he wasn't _afraid_ of this crap, it was just… super cool. The books and the weird glass things and the desks and the FarLands, that was just… sort of really rad.

Not all of it had to be awful, maybe.

Nino took a step away, tearing his eyes away from the window and looking once more around with a smile, before he asked the question, "Which seat is mine?"

"That there," she said with a gesture, pointing near the door. He followed her direction and settled on a table that held only one set of the books and half the paper of the others, stretching over all of the table but focusing on the right. Must be where Adrien sat, he reasoned. Nino glanced over to check where Carter was before heading towards his seat, hesitatingly for a moment before gently setting his bag on the tabletop. He sat on the bench, his seat the closest to the door but still some distance away, the space of the room impressing him again as he tried to get settled.

He took a moment to gather up the papers, seeing as he had suspected the name 'Adrien' printed neatly at the top of each. It was an odd mix of standard notebook paper and aged, weighty parchment, and though he wondered if he should he started to look through them. They were class notes right? Or something similar. However, when he realized that he could hardly make sense of anything at all he decided perhaps the middle wasn't the best place to start. He set the papers aside, neatly stacked on Adrien's side of the desk and started to look over the textbooks, hesitating before opening his own bag.

Sure enough, his copies were present, along with a notebook and something akin to a bound journal. He found a handful of pens and pencils cluttered at the bottom, along with a pencil sharpener and a folded piece of paper he found to be a map of the school. Seeing it made him smile a little, even if he was sort of intimidated by it. It was reassuring to have Ms. B looking out for him.

He knew he wasn't actually expected to be participating per say just yet, but he figured he should have his things out to at least look the part. Plus, he intended to take notes on… pretty much everything.

Nino had been staring in quiet confusion at the introductory page of one of his books when Carter finally returned to him, intent on trotting straight over to his boy but stopping short at Nino's table, sniffing madly at the right side of things.

'Cat,' Carter said firmly, without even a shred of doubt as he continued to sniff. 'Cat. Cat here, Nino?' he asked, as if to make sure he heard. 'There's a cat.'

"Is that what that is?" Nino responded, subtly breathing through his nose himself. Must be. Made sense. "Yeah, the guy who sits here. He's like a… something. That's probably what it is. Is that gonna be a problem? I know how you are with cats."

'I said I'd be good,' Carter reminded him, seemingly irritated and huffing at the empty seat and walking towards Nino almost as if to prove he had zero interest in the cat he knew sat there. 'I'm always good. No barking, you said. I won't bark.'

"You sure?" Nino asked with a smile, chuckling a little when Carter growled. He put up his hands in defeat. "Hey alright, I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll be fine; it's not like you've ever lost it near a cat before. That's totally never happened."

'It was up to no good,' Carter answered indignantly, knowing exactly what incident Nino was referring to and not appreciating the lack in trust. 'You weren't there. I saved the mother.'

"Mom could have handled a tabby dude," Nino snickered, entertained by the fact that Carter still looked mad but feeling a faint wave of guilt at the mention of his mother.

She was probably so upset…

He shook his head, shoving that down too and gritting his teeth.

Now wasn't the time for that.

Carter wormed his way under the desk, lying down over the tops of Nino's feet and looking like he was settling in for the day. He snuffled at the cat smelling bits of the floor but otherwise ignored it, claiming the spot as his own. He'd like to see the cat try and take it, not that he'd do anything, he was a good boy, but still.

Nino was going to return to having no idea what his textbook even covered when he suddenly, taking him completely by surprise, the door opened.

He didn't hear them coming, something he was starting to get used to and had apparently taken for granted. He tensed, his whimsical hope of entering a world he didn't understand with open arms gone in a sudden flash of insecurity. Part of him wanted to keep looking down, but another part of him was stubborn, and frustrated. He didn't like being afraid of things. So he looked up as Ms. Bustier greeted them.

"Good morning Rose! Good morning Juleka," Ms. Bustier called out with a smile, the two girls addressed appearing out from behind the door that had blocked them from sight. Nino felt a slight yet undeniable chill as they both entered the space, having been in the middle of their own conversation but stopping to greet their instructor.

"Good morning Ms. Bustier!" the small bubbly girl leading replied, her voice high and energetic. He assumed this was Rose, she was dressed in such a light color of pink it would hardly be appropriate if she wasn't. She was short, blond and somehow managing to exude an aura of pure sunshine and a cold chill he had always associated with graveyards at the same time.

Necromancer.

The second girl mumbled, nodding in the teacher's direction before continuing forward with Rose. It was the movement that gave her away first, the lack of smell second, and the subtle shift of color as if she was just _barely_ transparent third. She ghosted forward, quite literally, the movement so completely smooth that he was relatively unsurprised to see that her feet were not on the ground at all, but rather that she was floating.

Dead person number one was on the scene…

Nino stayed completely silent, holding his book with white knuckles as he leaned back slightly to check on Carter, ready to restrain him if-

Carter hadn't moved from his spot, watching the girls with interest and sniffing in their direction curiously before laying his head back down. His chest was flesh against the tops of Nino's feet, his breathing and heart beat were utterly even. Carter didn't see them as a threat in the slightest, despite the fact that one was literally a ghost and the other specialized in magic concerning strictly the dead.

You know. Whatever right?

The girls made it all the way to the isle leading down the middle before they noticed him, the girl he had deduced to be Rose gasping a little in an adorable way.

"Oh, are you the new student!? I didn't think you'd be here already! Hi!" The girl raced back, her pink robes and large brimmed pink hat swaying as she ran to him. She was about to say something more before she noticed with a second gasp that Carter was peering up from underneath the desk at her, using her proximity to sniff at her feet. "Oh and hello to you too!" she said with a giggle, absolutely bending down to pet him before she stopped abruptly, remembering something and straightening up before eagerly extending a hand. She smiled at him, and in the moment her boundless enthusiasm overcame her graveyard vibe entirely. "My name is Rose Lavillant! Welcome to the class!"

Nino stared at her for a second, trying to overcome his tenseness as he released his book with a little difficulty, forcing himself to just have it together and shake her hand. It was so small compared to his own, and the palm somewhat cold though the rest was warm. After a moment he managed to say, "Um, I'm Nino. Lahiffe. Thank you."

"This," Rose declared with a wide gesture to left, where he had absolutely not noticed the emo ghost girl was already floating and he jumped a little in surprise, "is Juleka Couffaine! She's my best friend, we sit just up there," she said, pointing again to a desk a little farther into the room. The ghost, Juleka, gave him a very small smile and an equally as small wave, Nino realizing just in time that a handshake would probably not be the way to go and waving a little as well. He was pretty much operating on the assumption that if they technically didn't have hands, don't go for it.

Rose was still talking, bouncing a little as she giggled and said, "Oh, I should probably say too, Juleka is a ghost. You've probably never seen a ghost before have you?"

"Uh, no but um… I was sorta given a brief rundown on some stuff," he explained quietly, trying for a nervous smile. Juleka smiled a little more at that, but Rose put her hands to her face, her large baby blue eyes suddenly filled with nearly theatrical emotion that was actually genuine.

"This must be all so crazy for you! Being a new werewolf can't be easy," he tensed a little at that, but she kept going, "but don't worry! Everyone here is super nice! You'll make lots of friends!"

Ah… so everyone _did_ know. But…

Nino stared at Rose for a moment, absorbing the way she smiled at him and spoke so genuinely and realized…

She knew. And she still shook his hand and welcomed him, she still took the extra step to reassure him. And he knew, he knew at least vaguely what they both were and he still greeted them. Sure he was kind of afraid in concept but… she seemed nice. She might raise the dead and the other girl might _be_ dead but… they seemed nice.

"Um," he finally replied, chuckling a little weakly as he reached up to rub at his neck. "It's been kind of a lot, but I'm doing my best."

"That's an understatement," Juleka spoke for the first time, ending the statement with a quiet laugh and Nino actually smiled a little more genuinely.

"Seriously!" Rose agreed with a laugh of her own, but she went right back to being super heartfelt in only a second. "You're so, so brave. Everything is so different all at once, I don't know what I'd do. I'm really, really happy you're here, you won't have to worry about anything now! Except tests," her expression warped into something of a pout, "you always have to worry about the tests…"

"You'll do fine…" Juleka spoke softly, clearly continuing the earlier conversation they had been having. Rose clutched her arms close to her chest, her emotions instantly switching to fretting as she was distracted.

"I studied so hard, it won't be fair if I don't get an A!" she complained, her tone a little louder as if to let Ms. Bustier hear on purpose, but if she heard it the cervitaur was unfazed by the passive plea. Nino sat idly by, watching as the tiny adorable necromancer panicked about a test on something he could only imagine. It was sort of humanizing.

The girls loitered for a moment more, the ghost drifting up the steps eventually to coax Rose to the proper seat and leaving Nino staring at his hands. Nino took a deep breath as they sat down, somewhat proud to have survived that and… undeniably reassured.

When the door opened again a short time later he was a little more prepared.

The next guy who came in didn't talk to him. He looked up when Rose called out, "Good morning Nathaniel!" and responded with a wave, but when he caught sight of Nino he looked a little caught off guard and quickly looked down, skittering to his seat in the back of the class with only a shy smile to offer. Nino tried to reason with himself that maybe the guy was just shy but… he stared at his hands a little more bitterly this time.

'He's like a rabbit,' Carter commented, sitting up for a moment to rest his head on Nino's knee and look up at him. 'He runs. I promise I won't bark near him, it would scare him.'

Nino snickered a little at that.

Nino shuffled his things a little but didn't have anything to do with them, so he just kept nervously waiting. Students started to arrive more quickly now, coming in bunches and groups. Not all of them acknowledged him or even saw him, and those that did had varying reactions.

A group of three had come in not long after the shy boy had, all wrapped up in their own, rather loud argument they were having. Nino really didn't like how the pocket aspect of the room meant he couldn't hear people approaching from outside, but he was distracted from his annoyance when he was effortlessly able to hear their entire conversation as soon as they passed the doorframe.

"-can take any bet you want as soon as you learn how to fix yourself," the shorter boy of the group was grumbling, settling a pair of thick goggles that seemed best fit for welding around his neck and pulling a pair of regular looking glasses from his pocket. Bandages and cuts dotted his dark skin anywhere it was exposed, his ridiculously stereotypical white coat rolled up to the elbows. Genuinely, he looked out of place _without_ cracks of ominous lightning behind him, and he didn't even need the taller boy to address him for him to know this was the mad scientist.

"Come on Max!" the tall boy was grumbling, his own skin… off. It had a greenish hue to it and was covered in somewhat unsettling patchworks of skin and stiches. He himself looked pretty normal, which was probably a testament to the craftsmanship behind creating him. It was a little strange to see something that was clearly dead walking around, arguing and whining like a normal, jockish boy. The tall undead creation continued, Kim if he remembered correctly, and his tone kicked up the pleading. "I'll be your guinea pig for all that stuff you wanted to try! I won't even complain!"

"You always complain," the third of the group commented, a very short and petite girl with bright, unruly pink hair. Her outfit was comprised of blues and sport garb, complete with fingerless gloves and a competitive attitude. She grinned, hopping a bit ahead of the boys and moving a lot quicker then Nino would have given her credit for, her motions incredibly smooth and fluid. "Max is probably right Kim, we wouldn't want you falling apart on the final turn!"

"Okay yeah you're fast Alix," Kim griped, irritated and indignant, "but saying you could lap me a hundred times is ridiculous, not even wind moves that fast."

Oh, Nino's thoughts chimed as the sporty girl laughed. Right. The comparison to wind was literal, he recognized the name Alix from the roster. Wind Elemental... She looked human to him, in fact it was sort of a relief that _everyone_ was humanoid so far. Clearly none of them were, their smell, movements, or appearance proved that (especially Kim's because _wow_ that guy smelt dead), but still, at least they weren't harpies.

The three continued to argue as they moved to their seats, only Max actually spotting him and noticing he was there. The boy didn't approach him though, he just assessed him coolly and gave him a nod, clearly intrigued but filing him away for some future speculation of his. It felt weirdly analytical, but maybe that's just how mad scientists operated.

Nino made a mental note to never agree to any experiments.

So far so good… and Nino looked forward as the door opened again. A group of two, the both of them girls.

When the girl in the lead entered Nino could not compare her gate to anything other than a _strut_ , each step deliberate as she glided in like a queen about to grace her servants with her presence. She held her head high and her back was perfectly straight, her entire figure cloaked in an expensive looking cotton robe and gold jewelry ranging from thick roped necklaces to delicate jingly bracelets. From her perfectly managed long blonde hair and elegant, Egyptian styled hair piece Nino decided almost effortlessly that he didn't like her in the slightest. Call it instinct.

His attention shifted to the… girl? Running along behind her. Gender was a little hard to pick out thanks to the carefully wrapped bandages that covered her entirely, leaving only the space of her bright eyes visible (and her glasses, oddly enough). He could see strands of red hair in a few places the bandages had shifted on her head, but it was impeccably tight everywhere else, and he was glad to see that the theatrical representations of mummies had been pretty spot on. The other girl just looked like a brat, but he was forced to assume that perhaps this was the sphinx? She had a glamour on, he could tell. From being near Ms. B he had realized that glamours had a sort of smell to them, and this girl had such a strong one that the tingle of energy from it nearly made him sneeze.

"Oh, he's here already," the bratty maybe-Sphinx commented quietly, whispering to the mummy though he could absolutely hear them. He had a feeling she knew that. "He doesn't even have a muzzle? Talk about lax security."

Nino tensed, feeling heat creep along his arms and the back of his neck as the mummy girl hesitantly agreed.

He had kind of been expecting that but… his fingernails dug into his palms.

"The only person who's ever needed a muzzle is you Chloe," a voice suddenly called from the doorway, and Nino looked up at the exact moment the girl Chloe scoffed in disgust. The girl who had spoken was still standing there, her hands on her hips as she said with a smirk, "Maybe I'll buy you one for Christmas and show you how to put it on."

"Alya!" Ms. Bustier shouted, the girl in the doorway jumping a little at being called out. Ms. B looked angry when she said, "That's a warning! Keep your comments to yourself!"

"Did you even hear what she said!?" Alya shouted in reply, Chloe and the mummy girl giggling to each other. The rude wannabe queen was clearly chuffed at having got the girl in trouble, and shot a glare to Nino as well just for good measure that made his skin crawl. Yeah, he definitely didn't like her.

Ms. B had walked up to Alya, looking cross and demanding an explanation. Nino had been pretty set on calling as little attention to himself as possible for the entire day, but as soon as he heard Ms. Bustier mention Mr. Damocles' office he couldn't stay quiet.

"Ms. Bustier!" he called out, standing with his hands on the desk. The girl named Alya turned in surprise when he spoke up, and he was distracted by her for a second before he stuck to his guns, swallowing nervously before stammering, "Uh, Ms. B, seriously. She was trying to be cool, Chloe started it. She was just defending me. And uh, I appreciated it," he added, looking back to the girl before dropping his gaze and looking away a little.

"I didn't say anything!" Chloe lied, crossing her arms in an irritating chorus of jingling jewelry.

"Yes you did!" Alya countered, looking pissed, "He's been here for like what, thirty minutes? Can't he at least hit the hour mark before you start being awful?"

"Oh like anyone should ever believe anything you say," the sphinx spat back, and Alya visibly bristled before Ms. B raised one hoof, crashing it against the hardwood in a loud jarring _crack_ that made everyone jump.

"Enough!" she demanded, her tone and posture stern as she regained control of the situation. "Alya, sit down. Chloe, not another word, if either of you pick a fight again you're both going to the office. Class hasn't even started yet let's all be _civil_."

"But she-!" Alya tried to start again, but one look from her teacher and she knew pushing it would only get her sent out. With a huff the girl Alya shot one irritated look in Chloe's direction before she did as she was told, walking to her seat. Nino was a little stunned when he realized that that was actually the seat directly behind him, and she wasted no time in getting his attention once she sat down.

"Just ignore her," she told him, speaking in a low voice as he turned around on the bench to look up at her in surprise. What he saw when he looked up was a pretty dark skinned girl with long, curly red hair, dark glasses and a beauty mark above one eye. Her teeth were pure white when she smiled, and her eyes held a bright kind of light to them as she talked. "I don't know if you've met her, I'm hoping you haven't. She's just trouble, so stay away from her if you can manage it."

Nino blinked once, kind of unsure of what to say and rubbing at one of his arms nervously. She was still looking at him though, withdrawn in a way but curious, and he forced himself to say something.

"Thanks," he muttered, finding it hard to look her in the eyes, but he could still see the flash of surprise on her face. "For saying something. But, don't get in trouble on my account. I can deal with it."

"You shouldn't _have_ to deal with it," she answered back immediately, and when he looked back into her face she looked genuinely pissed off. "Like seriously, I walked in right behind her, she wasted no time saying something crappy to you, and she _knows_ you heard it. She doesn't know you, no one does. She doesn't just get to pick on you and get away with it, that sucks."

"Well I… I mean I get it," he found himself saying, his tone almost stony as he said the words without really thinking about them. But as soon as he said it he realized it was true. "She's got a right to be like… I dunno."

"What?" Alya cut in, her expression still serious. "A brat? This school exists literally to _stop_ stuff like that, you shouldn't just take it."

"Well, like you said," he remarked with a tired sounding laugh and a small smile, looking up into her eyes and a little less intimidated now. "I've been here for like thirty minutes. That's so far the only bad thing someone has said, I'd say I'm doing pretty okay."

The girl grew still, watching him with a curious and slightly sad expression before she said, "You really came in here expecting the worst huh?"

He hesitated, before finally he shrugged, petting Carter with one hand as he laid his head on the bench to see what was going on. "Yeah. I guess so."

He looked down at his dog, focusing on petting him instead of anything else. He could still feel the tension in his shoulders, and the word 'muzzle' was stuck in his head, but he relaxed a little when he heard her laugh quietly.

"Hey, if anyone gets that it's me, trust me." He looked up, and when he did he was caught a little off guard by her smile and the gesture of an outstretched hand. "My name is Alya," she told him simply, grinning as he shook. "You?"

"Nino," he answered, smiling too.

"Well, Nino, I think you're okay. So if Chloe gives you crap tell me or Marinette and we'll handle it."

Nino hesitated, about to say something along the lines of 'Thanks but I can take care of myself,' but was distracted by the name, asking instead, "Who's Marinette?"

"That would be me."

"Ah!" Nino jumped a little in surprise, turning all the way back around again at the quiet giggle of yet _another_ girl. He was really meeting a lot of people at once, getting names right was going to be hard. How did she sneak up on him too?

"Hehe, sorry!" she apologized, and she was unexpectedly close to him. However, she looked so nice that he didn't really feel intruded upon, just surprised.

She was pretty, her face soft and nice looking as she smiled at him. Her eyes were a very deep blue and her hair a dark black with a blueish hue to it too. Her hair was done up in high pigtails with a hair piece of some kind on the high back of her head that was in the same style as the rest of her clothes. It looked sort of traditional and had a clear Chinese influence like the girl herself, the robe itself a dark red with what looked like half of the Yin-Yang symbol sewn on the front. She was slim, pale, and kind looking, overall very pleasant.

"I'm Marinette," she introduced herself, extending a hand as well. "Alya is my best friend, and she totally means that by the way. We will handle Chloe if she gives you a problem."

"I, I uh, appreciate it," he stammered, chuckling a little nervously as he shook her hand. "But really, I know I'm new at this but I've dealt with bullies before. I'll be alright."

"I'm sure you will be," Marinette giggled, sounding oddly sincere when she said it. "You're really brave, even though this must all be so overwhelming you're still here." She met his eyes with her own, speaking genuinely as she said, "That says a lot about a person you know. When they do the things they have to even if they're afraid. I really respect that."

Nino froze, gaping a little and entirely unsure of what to say. She said it so seriously, and suddenly he had the feeling that she could read him like a book.

He was snapped out of it when Marinette made a small noise of surprise, giggling and saying, "Well, hello!" towards the floor. It took him a second to realize that it was Carter, sniffing intently at her legs with his tail wagging.

"Carter!" he chastised, his face a little hot as he reached beneath the desk to pull his dog back. "Dude, no!"

'She smells nice!' Carter defended himself, tail still thumping, 'Like food! And she's soft and nice. I like her!'

"It's alright!" Marinette assured him, hesitating for a moment before asking innocently, "Can I pet him? His name is Carter right?"

"Oh, uh," Nino paused, looking down to ask Carter directly, "Is it alright if she pets you?"

'Yes!' He responded with a bark, wiggling out of Nino's hold and sliding out from under the desk to stand in front of Marinette directly, his entire behind wagging with his tail now. 'Hello!'

"Oh you're so cute!" Marinette cooed, dropping to her knees to scratch behind his ears. "It's nice to meet you Carter, hello! Haha, yes, hello to you too," she managed between giggles, Carter bouncing up a little to lick at her face.

"Down boy," Nino said with a sigh, smiling a little too even though he could feel a lot of the students watching. "Play nice."

'I am nice,' Carter grumbled, giving him the dog equivalent of a glower before returning his attention to Marinette, clearly infatuated. The scene was so pleasant that Nino managed to ignore Chloe's distant comment of "What is that his brother or something?"

A few of the students were whispering, talking about the dog and wondering what it was. In their defense a dog was probably ever rarely just a dog in their world, and he was contemplating how to clear that up when Marinette stood again, giggling as she moved around him to sit down in her seat. Carter made to follow, hoping up the little step to sit in the space beneath the two girls.

"Hey aren't you supposed to be sitting with me?" Nino said in fake irritation, snickering at the look Carter shot him. The girls laughed too, both of them showering the dog with affection. Carter was a little hesitant about Alya at first, but when she started scratching under his chin he was sold.

"Looks like you lost your buddy to Marinette's sunshiny aura," Alya joked, grinning down at Nino as Carter squished up against Marinette's legs. "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

"I am not stealing his dog," Marinette responded with a pout, running her fingers through Carter's fur as the dog practically melted into her hands.

"It's really a matter of him running away with you," Nino chimed in, his voice actually pretty steady and the joke landing. Both of the girls laughed and he found himself smiling, and though his back was turned he had a feeling Ms. Bustier was watching him with a smile of her own. "He really likes you."

"Oh!" Marinette abruptly exclaimed, something occurring to her as she looked at him with innocent curiosity. "I'm sorry if it's rude to ask, I'm just so curious. I've heard before that- well, can you really talk to him? Or is that just a rumor?"

Nino blinked once, suddenly a little self-conscious even though she asked it so nicely. To his surprise she seemed to pick up on that, and he had to rush to cut off her apology.

"You're fine!" he assured her, laughing a bit nervously. "Um, yeah actually, I can. Well, sort of, it's not perfect. A lot of it is visual, like I have to be watching him to get what he's saying. But I know that he likes you. He keeps saying you seem nice and smell like food." He was suddenly a bit embarrassed at having admitted that, the sentiment sounding really weird when it was out in the open even though it was from his dog not him. However, it being from his dog didn't make it a lot better.

Once again though, Marinette picked up on his embarrassment immediately, almost too fast to be attributed to just being observant.

"Oh, that must be from the bakery," she said with a laugh, staying engaged to deflect the awkwardness he suddenly felt. It was really effective. "I live in a bakery that my parents run in Paris, the Dupain-Cheng bakery. I wouldn't be surprised if I smell a lot like bread actually." With that she looked down at Carter, petting him still as she said, "Are you only letting me pet you because you think I have food? That's not very nice."

Nino was a bit distracted, looking at her carefully while she was focusing on Carter. He could feel Alya watching him, and though both girls _looked_ totally human, he was wise enough now to know that they weren't.

Marinette must be the witch. He recognized the last name Dupain-Cheng from the roster and had even thought to himself that it was a name that seemed fitting for someone labeled as plainly as witch. As for Alya… he looked over at her, and when he caught her staring he was the only one who looked away, the girl unabashedly observing him with a curious smile. He couldn't peg her; he didn't know what he was looking for anyways. She smelled like _something_ but he didn't know what, and he wasn't entirely sure what the proper etiquette for asking was.

For the girls he had already seen the sphinx (probably, he was taking the Egyptian theming of her outfit as confirmation), the mummy, the wind elemental, and the witch. That left the wood nymph and the kitsune, which he had no idea what that was. He didn't exactly have access to google, not that it would likely be of much help anyways.

Wait.

Nino turned around in his seat, taking advantage of the lull in conversation to look forward again. Carter stayed up with the girls for the moment, bouncing between the two of them and expecting constant affection, which he received. As his dog distracted them Nino took the time to actually read the names of his textbooks, glad to have the old school google that was likely to be much more helpful at his disposal.

'History of Realm Relations'

'Literary Development through the 15th Century Forward'

'Elemental Magic and Its Physical Manifestations'

'Those that Surround You' That, that one, that one sounded right.

Nino quickly opened it, a tad baffled by the bizarre way in which it was organized but finding that, yes, it was a compilation of species and creatures, each with detailed classifications. Why ask awkward questions when he could read? Actually… as he skimmed through the 'table of contents' of sorts he noticed a section called Lycanthropy, and found that maybe this book would be more interesting than he had figured.

Nino hesitated, staring sightlessly at the book as he considered flipping to that section now but… no. No, he shook his head. Now wasn't the time… what could he read in there that wouldn't just make his first day more difficult?

Well… it hadn't really been all that bad so far. Parts were awful, and he was still tense as hell and pretty uncomfortable but… he looked over his shoulder.

Alya was shaking her head at Carter, who had somewhat wormed his way up onto the bench between the two girls. Marinette was giggling as Carter threatened to knock down her things with his tail and Alya just stared him down with a raised eyebrow, clearly entertained but still a bit skeptical of the creature. Nino couldn't help but smile, glad that Carter had made some friends. And glad that, maybe, he had as well.

Even as he looked backward he ran his thumb nervously over the binding of the book, wondering what it would say about them. All of them.

Would it be best to leave it to them to show him what they really were, rather than read it from a book?

And was that true for himself as well?

He didn't know. He still hadn't decided by the time he turned back around, closing the text but still holding it in his hands. He looked down at its face, staring critically at its aged gold embossing. Stating plainly yet complexly, 'Those that Surround You.'

Who _did_ surround him?

A witch who he rather liked, not at all the wicked west kind he had been low key expecting. A something or other, the kitsune he was guessing since during their conversation a girl who smelt like the forest and had a handful of branches sticking out of her hair had wandered in with a particularly _massive_ and heavy looking dude he took to be the golem? So that was the nymph and Alya was the kitsune, and she seemed pretty cool, if a bit hotheaded. The skittish dude, Nathaniel, seemed shy more than anything, not at all threatening or really all that strange. Max was a bit of a wildcard, the intellectual calculating types always were, and his undead bestie seemed kind of jockish but not dangerous. At most he'd be a jerk, right? Alix struck him as competitive and energetic but those weren't bad things really, and the mummy hadn't left much of an impression besides the fact that she kept poor company. Chloe sucked, but there had to be one yeah? And Rose was incredibly sweet (though he got the impression she might actually be one of the more dangerous people in class) and Juleka was reserved but pretty cool.

Overall, they were just… well, they weren't people but, he knew what he meant. They had personalities, not all of them grand, but unique. Yeah sure three of them were dead, one of them was mean, three of them were magic users and the rest were a bunch of somethings but…

It wasn't that bad.

Nino jumped when he felt something furry brush against his leg, looking down to see that Carter had decided to return after all and was staring up at him curiously.

'Are you okay?' he asked, tone somehow serious though he couldn't convey much of one. The German Shepherd was watching him carefully, probably quietly worried he had made Nino mad by wandering off, but in reality that was the farthest thing from his mind.

"Surprisingly," Nino said slowly, taking a deep breath and nodding his head. "Yeah… I'm alright."

'Good!' Carter cheered with a quiet _woof_ , the sound and cheery attitude enough to make Nino smile again. 'That's good. And I haven't barked at all. I told you.'

Nino chuckled to himself, shaking his head and patting Carter. "Yes I know, you're a good boy Carter. But, then again, the cat dude isn't here yet, that'll be your real test of willpower little man."

Carter was in the midst of defending himself when there was a sudden sharp snort of laughter behind them, followed by a quiet yet distinct, "Oh no…"

Nino turned, looking back at the girls to find Alya snickering helplessly into her hands as if trying to smother the sound and Marinette staring down at Carter with a suddenly hesitant expression. Marinette spoke again, biting her lip a bit as she said, "I did _not_ think about that."

"Think about what?" Nino asked the obvious question, looking uncertainly at Alya who seemed determined to speak, giggling though she was.

"Oh, my, GOD," she managed in spurts, giggling again before finally she just laughed out loud, absolute glee in her eyes as she said, "That's so _funny._ Do you think he's going to freak out? Please tell me he's going to freak out."

"No," Marinette said quickly, though by her voice was far from convincing, her expression even more so. "No, no it will be… it'll be fine, I'm sure. He's probably not- he's… hm…," she hummed, a hand raising to her face as she was suddenly considering something.

Nino stared at her in bewilderment, Carter looking on innocently since he couldn't actually understand anyone else. Finally, after a long moment Marinette looked to Nino, saying slowly, "Well, um. You see, Adrien, the boy who sits next to you? He's a- well, he's a cat sidhe. And he's not _actually_ a cat, at least," she hesitated, "not all the time. But, I don't think he's fond of dogs. Mr. Damocles mentioned you'd have one but I'm not really sure a lot of people here knew what he meant by 'service animal'. I didn't pick up on Adrien being particularly agitated by it but… he might not have been paying attention."

"Well… he _might_ have had a hard time sitting next to me anyways wouldn't he? If he had a problem with dogs?" Nino replied with a shrug and a weak smile, stunning even himself that he had actually just managed to make a joke about- well… himself. Alya took a second to process it before she was laughing, bending over the desk and cackling a bit as she leaned forward to give him a high five, Marinette giggling a bit too though she still looked concerned.

"Well _obviously_ that's not the same thing. I just mean, um… Oh, it'll be fine. I'm sure it's fine, Carter is a good boy. He isn't going to harass him is he? Adrien can be a handful but I wouldn't want him to actually be scared."

"No of course not," Nino assured her, looking back down to Carter as he repeated, "Right Carter? You'll leave the cat alone right? No sniffing either, just to be sure."

'I said I wouldn't!' Carter huffed, grumbling a little in an expressive enough way that even the girls seemed to pick up on what he meant, both of them laughing.

"Uh… I don't want to make him uncomfortable or anything, I'll just have Carter sit on my left so he isn't near him. And I guess, if it's a big deal, I can just take him back to where I'm staying. I was kinda hoping he could stay with me but, if it's gonna freak the other guy out then it probably wouldn't be a good idea."

"Nah," Alya said with a shrug, still laughing a bit. "Adrien wouldn't make you take him out of the room, not unless Carter straight up attacked him, he's way too nice to do that. It'll be fine, but if it isn't at the very least it'll be funny."

" _Alya,"_ Marinette chastised her, the 'kitsune' too preoccupied with chuckling at whatever mental image she was entertaining to pay it much mind. Nino spent a moment more watching them before turning to look forward, scanning the room for a clock or something and finding nothing.

Class was bound to be starting soon and the only one missing was the Adrien guy, who was the last person he had to meet and likely the most important since they'd be stuck next to each other. He was hoping to somewhat get along with him, seeing as it was clearly what Ms. B had been aiming for putting them next to each other. She _must_ have considered Carter in that equation when she sat them together, so in all likely hood it would be fine.

Prooooobably…

…right?


	8. Chapter 8

_Kitsune_

 _The Kitsune race are beings tied to and affected by the NeverNever as it is the spiritual realm, and inherently Kitsune are spirits by nature. In humanity, the form of kitsune is often referred to as 'fox' and more specifically the 'red fox'. In the human realm there are many varieties of this mortal creature, and while varieties exist too among the Kitsune themselves their animal forms are seen most often with a red coat of fur. If a Kitsune lives beyond a hundred years, it becomes evident as a mark of power in their fur color, often changing to shades of white, silver, or gold; none of which are seen in Kitsunes younger than a century. The most obvious distinction between the creature 'the fox' and the animal form of the Kitsune is the number of tails, for while the animal has one tail the Kitsune can have anywhere from one to nine, depending on their age. A Kitsune is awarded their ninth tail on the day they reach a hundred years of age, as they have reached such age, wisdom, and power that they have transcended the ranks of those younger than them within their species._

 _Within the culture of the Kitsune these silver or gold coated foxes are revered as elders of great importance, and even within other cultures of creatures of magic it is not uncommon for these beings to be seen with great respect. The red coated Kitsune however are not viewed this way, as they can be any manner of age. Typically, the older and wiser a Kitsune becomes the more tails they are seen with. Their physical manifestations are influenced by their perception of reality since they are beings of spirit, so as they undergo hardships and achieved new understandings their physical form changes to reflect this. Upon the introduction of humanity to the realms at large the Kitsune were seen as one of the more accepting, and over time have developed human illusions as interchangeable as their animal forms. It is well known that the Kitsune possess powerful illusionary abilities, creating falsifications of people, places, or objects that they are almost entirely indiscernible from the real thing. In fact, should you not be highly trained in the dispelling of illusions it is extremely likely that you would be incapable of understanding that something was not truly there. You would be able to touch and feel the illusion as true as it were reality, and because of this many Kitsune use this ability instead of obtaining genuinely substantial things. The more Kitsune that participate in an illusion the grander and more elaborate it can be, and a Kitsune den that hosts an entire family of the spirits has been known to exist in a manufactured pocket of a realm, within which could exist an entire kingdom with its own weather and population created entirely by the Kitsune._

 _This grand ability is trained and harnessed in every young Kitsune, but supposedly it is only truly mastered upon reaching one hundred years of age. Deciding what 'mastered' means however is almost entirely dependent upon the leader of the family, as it changes between each elder asked. The power of illusion is not the only power they possess; however, it is by far the one they are greatest known for. They can also utilize elemental magic based on the element of their domains, as well as possession._

 _The Kitsune themselves are a relatively small population, existing primarily within the human realm and the FarLands, regardless of their connection to the NeverNever. When interacting with a Kitsune it is best to remember that almost the entirety of their culture is built upon respect, and to treat a Kitsune with kindness would result in positive and equal exchange, while disrespecting or wronging one would create a powerful enemy. An attempt upon their soul would mean immediate and irrefutable betrayal, and would likely enrage the whole of a family regardless of the individual's standing within it._

 _A 'soul' of a Kitsune is a physical sphere, often worn around the neck as a charm while in human form or kept safely in their tails or teeth while manifested as a fox. Since they are beings of spirit, their soul is extremely precious to them, as losing it would cost them their life or at the very least control of it. It is crucial to know that an attempt upon their soul is a critical insult from which you cannot recover. So long as these powerful spirits are treated with respect the Kitsune are relatively safe. Many young ones have been reported to play tricks with their powers of illusion, and should often be regarded with care._ _ **To be frank, such behavior is evident in all creatures, though the Kitsune have received a more universal blame for it. They are often viewed with distrust because of their abilities, but as with all beings the worthiness of a creature is left up to the individual and the**_ _ **noble**_ _ **Kitsune is no exception.**_

Nino stared at the page of his textbook, running his index finger over the embedded print of the last two sentences. While the rest of the book looked old and worn in, the last sentiment was added in by hand, seemingly somewhat recently. It made sense to him, to be completely honest the 'academic text' had been painting them in a somewhat bad light, dwelling on their illusions perhaps longer than necessary, even going so far as to straight up say they should be 'regarded with care' and branded 'relatively safe'. That sucked.

His mind turned again to what it must say about him…

He let the text close without much thought, his mind turning over itself toxically as he started to drag his fingernail across its spine, cutting long lines into it as he stared at nothing.

It was probably littered with what he could see on some of the faces of his classmates. Distrust, danger. Approach with caution… regard with care. Part of him wondered if it would paint him as cursed, or if it would write him like an animal. Or something else entirely.

What did this book say about all of them? What parts were true? And what parts were written in by hand, new information that might redeem them…

His fingernails dug deeper.

"Nino?"

He jumped, Carter jolting too from his sudden movement though he himself had not picked up on his owner's change in mood. Instead, it was Marinette who had noticed, as she seemed to do again and again. When he turned to look at her she was smiling gently.

"Do you have everything you need? Like paper and stuff? I have extras."

Nino hesitated, snapped out of his thoughts so quickly that he wasn't able to immediately reply, but after a moment he said "Uh, yeah. Yeah I've got stuff. Thanks."

"Pens and your books too right? They're all kind of… old fashioned, but the literature one is actually kind of interesting!" Marinette smiled at him, picking up her own copy of the book as she referenced it. The witch glanced down at it briefly, flipping through its pages as she badgered aimlessly. "There's actually a Fae poet that is recorded in here, I can't remember the name for the life of me but it's really nice! It was my favorite to work through in the class, I'd like to know what you think of it! Let me just find it-,"

Nino blinked once, watching a little confused as she quickly sorted through the textbook. It was a little abrupt, but before even a few moments had passed he was suddenly being prompted to read through a series of poems. He wasn't really a poem guy, but Marinette seemed excited about it, or at the very least intent. She insisted he pay it his full attention, and it was about halfway through the first poem that he realized she was doing that on purpose.

She was keeping him busy, forcing his thoughts to focus on something else. She was making a quick habit of that, monitoring his emotional state and engaging him or distracting him when she needed to. She had done it three or so times just since he was introduced to her, and while part of him briefly wondered if it was in her own best interest to keep him calm and together he came to the conclusion fairly quickly that it was for his own benefit.

She was being nice, and he scolded himself a little that he kept failing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt here. She didn't need to be working an angle or treating him like a threat, maybe she was just a sweet person trying to help out someone who was clearly going through a hard time.

That was… cool of her.

He was still 'reading' the poem when he heard the door open again (honestly he wasn't absorbing much of it, apparently the bouncy flowery prose of poetry did not change much from world to world, and remained about as uninteresting), and though the noise did catch his attention it was Carter that made him look away from the book, because quite abruptly the Shepherd was **tense**.

"Ah, Adrien!" Ms. Bustier's voice called out, actually relieved he had made it to class but also a little put out at just how late he was. "It's nice to know you intended on joining us today."

"I'm sorry!" the boy immediately responded, actually sliding forward a little through the door as he quickly closed it behind him. His words were quick and slammed together, his rushed excuse giving Nino a chance to look at him.

Adrien was saying something like "I know you told me to be early today-," but Nino tuned him out slightly, a bit thrown off by how… normal he looked. Well not normal, no one in here was normal, but human.

Lots of people had a humanoid appearance, everybody in class did though Chloe's glamor gave him the impression that maybe hers was just for show like Ms. B's had been, but he looked TOTALLY human. Even Marinette and Alya still looked a bit off, Marinette because of her clothing mostly and Alya because of… something. He couldn't quite place it, something in the way she watched people and moved and looked at him. Everybody had a gimmick though, like how Max looked kind of evil what with his lab coat and Rose had a Glinda Goodwitch Necromancer sort of vibe, but Adrien just looked like… a dude.

He was about as tall as him he guessed, white, thin, blonde, and personable looking with a pretty cool outfit that was still normal and not out of place. He had a perfect glowing smile with perfectly even teeth, bright green eyes that were human as could be, two legs, no tail and not even a pair of cat ears to sell the image. Seriously if he hadn't been told implicitly that this dude was supposed to be a cat something he wouldn't have known.

Honestly he was a little disappointed. He had been preparing for a big anthropomorphic cat but… well it was probably easier for his sanity that that wasn't the case. It was a little refreshing that his imagination had actually overshot for once.

He was about ready to maybe rationalize that this _wasn't_ the guy who was supposed to sit next to him, when he became aware again of Carter, if only because he was slowly scrabbling forward without actually raising his paws.

Nino looked down to see for sure but Carter was definitely moving forward, his eyes totally trained on the new guy whose back was currently towards their desk.

'Cat.' Carter confirmed, absolutely no hesitation in the statement whatsoever. 'There he is. I got him Nino.'

"You do _not,"_ Nino whispered harshly, ducking quickly to grab his dog by the collar. He ignored Alya's sharp snicker behind him and focused on Carter, pulling him backwards and towards his left side. "I told you **no** , if you even move you're in big trouble."

'Cat, _cat,'_ Carter repeated, looking back at Nino as if he wasn't fully grasping the severity of the situation. But, to the dog's credit, he had not barked, but it was clearly a great test of will.

"Carter," Nino whispered seriously, rushing now that Adrien looked like he was about to come and sit down, "if you bark or sniff at him or harass him at all you will be a _bad dog,_ do you understand? A Bad Dog."

…That got him.

Carter gave the perfect dog equivalent of a gasp, his muzzle parting and his focus broken from the 'cat' completely. He looked genuinely upset.

'I am **not** a _bad dog!'_ Carter growled, the first truly audible sound he had made though it was quiet. 'I'm a good boy! I'm _always_ a good boy!'

"Then prove it," Nino whispered, but he was forced to look away and sat up quickly, Adrien now breaking his conversation with their teacher and turning around.

The boy turned to face him completely for the first time, their eyes meeting immediately since he was sitting where Adrien was accustomed to sitting alone. At first his expression seemed open, surprised he was there already but receptive to it, but then his focus slid down and locked on the large, rigid German Shepherd that was trained on him explicitly.

Adrien stopped, body tense and eyes widening somewhat when he noticed the dog. Internally Nino was swearing, his anxiety rocketing now that he knew everyone was looking at them. He was trying to figure out a game plan of what to do if either Adrien freaked out or if Carter broke away from him, but even as he planned things he felt his dog huff in defiant annoyance. After only a beat of the cat staring him down Carter turned, looking up at Nino once to check that he was seeing just how much he didn't care about the cat as he settled facing the wall, nose in the air and back towards the class. Because he didn't care about the cat at all, because he was a good boy. And the whole class started laughing.

Alya laughed the loudest, Chloe grumbling somewhere in annoyance at 'whats so funny?' and Marinette sighing in sudden relief. Nino sighed in relief as well, relaxing instantly and managing to take the laugh good naturedly. Honestly he was just sort of glad the only dog anyone thought might be a problem was Carter… and for the thousandth time since the loyal canine had found him he was grateful that he was there.

He probably owed him an apology for implying that in any way he could be less than a perfect dog.

People where still giggling over how Carter seemed intent on ignoring Adrien's existence when the boy himself sat down, Nino looking over with an apologetic smile already prepared. Up close he still looked normal to him, but now that he was right there he could see what Carter was getting at. Even if he looked human this dude for whatever reason smelled like a cat.

"Uh, hey," Adrien said simply, a little embarrassed to have been caught visibly reacting to a dog like that. It seemed especially insensitive considering the guy sitting next to him now… but actually the comparison was probably even less cool. Man he was botching this. "Um, I'm Adrien, you're Nino right?"

Nino hesitated, surprised that he already knew his name but taking his hand when he extended it. "Yeah, nice to meet you. You know my name?"

"Ms. Bustier caught me in one of our last classes," Adrien explained, trying his best to smile and really wanting to make a good impression, feeling like he had already kind of screwed up. "I had already known there was a new student from the principal but once she decided you were sitting next to me she wanted to ask me to help you out. She mentioned Carter too, that's his name right?" Adrien checked, suddenly unsure and rubbing nervously at the back of his head as he laughed a little. "So I'd be ready, still caught me off guard though, I'm sorry about that..."

"Oh, no you're good!" Nino assured him quickly, glancing once at Carter and seeing that he was still pointed dutifully at the wall, having angled himself to have Adrien fully towards his back now that he was sitting. "Um, I should be apologizing I didn't know anyone might not uh… like dogs. He's good though I promise, he won't bother you."

"He's fine!" Adrien countered back, looking past Nino at the Shepherd facing the wall. He was aware of Alya still giggling behind him and tried to ignore her, already more than enough embarrassed about it.

"Wait so," Nino paused, "Ms. B wanted to ask you to… help me?" He asked it hesitantly, curious but also wanting to divert attention away from his dog for a second. Mostly though he was caught on the idea that maybe Ms. B didn't have as much faith in him as she said she did… he cut into the leather of his book again nervously.

Adrien's expression looked, once again, caught out, and he hurried to clarify. "Yeah like, show you around and stuff! That's all I meant. Like um, give you my notes and things and introduce you to other people in class. I was supposed to be here first thing to do that but… yeah sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "I slept in."

"Oh, that's no problem, don't worry about it. Honestly uh… meeting everyone at once might have been a little much anyways." Nino's smile was a little sour then and he looked down, focusing on the desk. He still had Marinette's borrowed literature book open to one of the dumb poems, so after a moment he turned to return in, handing it back and adding, "I'm still sort of… adjusting."

"You're doing great though," Marinette chimed in, taking the book as well as the opening to join the conversation. She said it genuinely, smiling at him sweetly until he smiled a little too. "Seriously, I don't know what I'd do if I was in your shoes, but you're still dealing with all this anyways."

"Well… I don't have too much of a choice," Nino muttered, and he could see Adrien frowning out of the corner of his eye, but his attention as diverted by Alya now.

"Maybe not, but dealing with it the best you can _is_ a choice, and not one everyone would make. Don't sell yourself short, you're barely getting started."

Nino was stunned into silence, trying to respond but failing to. Alya watching him unflinchingly, once again forcing him to be the first to look away.

He didn't find the words to answer her before Ms. Bustier called the class to attention, asked to turn back in his seat and absorb the weirdly jarring image of a Cervitaur dressed business casual calmly stepping towards the center of the room. In this space though she was not out of place, _that's_ what was jarring.

The clatter of her hooves was muffled by the carpeting, her stance and expression exactly indicative of her profession and ability to teach. He felt a weird and anxious emotion bubble in his chest as she folded her hands across her stomach, the weight of it settled just above the invisible seam of her two halves, his teacher calm and looking over her students. All of her students.

Which at that moment, and all foreseeable moments… included him.

"We have waited long enough then!" Ms. Bustier joked with a smile, shooting Adrien a stern but mostly playful look that had the boy ducking his head and laughing nervously. Her gaze flickered to Nino, her smile softening before continuing to address her newly completed class. "It's about time we got started for the day. But first, I wanted to properly introduce our newest student."

Oh… crap. Crap.

Nino's heartrate doubled, instantly incredibly anxious, but before he could properly panic about having to stand up and introduce himself Ms. Bustier was doing it for him, and he sighed in relief.

"This is Nino Lahiffe, a few of you have met him already but he will be with us for the remainder of the school year. I ask that you all find the time to introduce yourself at some point throughout the day, but without any more stalling it's time we started our lessons. I hope you all remember the start of your discussion yesterday with Mr. Damocles, because we will be continuing right where you left off. Can anyone tell me what that is?"

There was a small collection of voices as a few of the students rushed to beat out the others with the right answer. Nino didn't really pay attention to what it was, knowing full well that he was going to be wildly lost with them starting in the middle of pretty much anything.

Just like that… class was starting. It had a weird feeling of finality to it, once again. Every step he took now it felt like there was never any way to take it back, living every second like it was all in was… incredibly draining, but what Alya had said seemed true in an intimidating way.

For better or for worse, he was just getting started.


	9. Chapter 9

Ms. Bustier's voice was soothing and constant, perfectly professional as she slowly paced the room's perimeter. She was temporarily away from the board to allow her students to take notes without her obstructing them, which was good because from the front of the class it was pretty much impossible to see if she was standing there.

As she continued to talk Nino couldn't say that he was exactly grasping… well, anything, but he could say his note taking was diligent. He had everything that was written on the board down in the more familiar looking notebook he had been given, saving the weightier parchment paper for some other use. He didn't understand anything, but he wrote it down anyways. So many of the words were long and completely unfamiliar that the whole thing came off as if it was written in a different language entirely, only reassuring small words like 'the' reminding him that he still had the ability to read. It was frustrating but not unexpected, and for the time being nobody seemed like they were going to bother him for just staring at the floor.

Nino was rolling his pen between his fingers as he very deliberately thought of nothing at all when he felt something solid and furred nudge at his thigh, Carter for the first time in a while having something to say.

'I am thirsty. Can we leave yet?'

The Shepherd wasn't whining audibly but from the way he settled his head in Nino's lap it was clear the poor dude was bored out of his mind. He had forced himself to stay on guard for the first hour, facing the wall but completely alert of his surroundings. However, at the dawn of the second hour it was pretty clear that nothing interesting was going to happen at any pace he couldn't beat, so eventually he just went to sleep. Now, though, he was awake and restless, and admittedly so was everybody. Three hours of straight lecture was rough, _especially_ if you had no idea what was going on and were mostly focusing on doing nothing.

Being bored as heck was so far pretty normalizing, it made him feel like he was actually in a school, but all it took was for him to clue in again for a handful of seconds to catch some line about the initial formations of 'church gates' and he'd be on edge again. Or a glance to the side at the mummy using white-out or a look back at the ghost sharing the necromancer's notes since she couldn't actually take any herself. Anything that reminded him that things weren't as normal as they came off.

The cervitaur teaching class was also a pretty constant reminder, but weirdly enough Nino could find himself forgetting it. Like yeah clearly she was still a deer lady, but she'd stand there and ask a question and wait for hands to be raised and she was also a teacher. Sometimes, if he actually just tried to listen, she was just a teacher, and the other bit was easier to ignore.

After a second to check where said deer lady was Nino leaned to the side slightly, ruffling Carter's fur and whispering a response.

"I know man, I'm sorry. We've got to be letting out soon though, I'll find you some water and a place to run around before things pick up again."

'Okay… you need to eat too. You must be hungry. I'll find food.'

"The school has food dude," Nino reminded him, glad that was true. He didn't really know what the system was for lunches here… he didn't have an I.D card or anything but, Adrien said he'd show him around and stuff so he could probably ask him.

Thinking of the boy sitting next to him Nino straightened up, looking over to see that Adrien was pretty spaced out and leaning his face into one hand, staring at nothing in particular but probably still listening. After a moment of deliberation Nino reached over and tapped his shoulder, startling him a little as he was snapped from his thoughts.

"Sorry," Nino apologized quickly, leaning forward so he could whisper but still carefully keeping space between them. "Um, I was wondering if we get a break soon or something? Cause I might need to step out to feed Carter if not and I don't really know what the rules are for that."

"Oh, you usually can just go so long as you catch Ms. Bustier's eye first," Adrien quickly explained, also leaning in to keep things quiet and not shying away from him like he kept expecting him to. "But don't worry," he continued, "we're about to let out. Lunch is in a second and we get two hours."

"Okay, cool." Nino hesitated for a moment, looking away a bit before saying, "Uh, so do we have to pay for school lunches or-…" he trailed off, hating that 'new kid' feeling but glad that Adrien was staying on top of it.

"Nope! It's supplied by the school, don't worry about it. I'll show you how to get food too, it's a little weird." He made a small gesture towards the rest of the class, as if the next thing was pretty self-explanatory. "Pretty much everybody who goes here has different things they need to eat, so ordering is kind of specific. I got you though, you just eat human stuff right?"

"Uh, yeah," Nino answered quietly, returning Adrien's smile when he gave it but a little unsettled as he faced forward again. He went back to fidgeting with his pen, thoughts suddenly occupied with what else Adrien had suspected he might be eating at lunch. And also what he could expect to be on Adrien's tray too, since the clear intention was for them to sit together.

He liked to think he wouldn't be crazy grossed out if he just started eating mice or whatever but like… ugh. And what else? What the heck did a _mummy_ order for lunch, if anything? Did she even need to eat? What about the other dead ones? He had kind of offhandedly figured that there would be normal food and a few unidentifiable things, it hadn't actually occurred to him that some of them might eat… maggots or something.

His stomach churned uncomfortably and that same, unnamable anxious feeling crawled in his gut. He shook his head in an effort to shift his train of thought but it didn't work, so he elected to stop thinking all together, laying his head down and just holding out for class to end.

He laid his face down onto his arms which were currently folded over his still open Creature Guide textbook. He was covering it partly because it was just in the way, and partly because he didn't want his desk mate to notice the page it was open to now that he had sort of established conversation.

He had been skimming the subsection of _Cat Sidhes_ off and on throughout their lecture, a little dismayed that he was still decently confused about the pretty normal yet cat smelling individual sat next to him. It was in the Fae chapter, short for or at least alternative for _fairy_ which was an entire complicated mess of things that lived in the NeverNever, apparently. Anything wacky and spirit oriented lived there or at least came from there according to Ms. Bustier, and there were a lot of different types of Fae in general. From what he could read Cat Sidhes were one of those things, _kind of._

They were apparently sort of similar to magic users, like a witch or wizard, except instead of their magic being generated internally it was tied to the NeverNever, just like Faeries (according to the book, not that it meant much to him). Nino had been forced to bounce back and forth between some of the sections a few times, but from what he could _basically_ understand, straight up witches and wizards had a constantly regenerating source of magic that came from inside them, their souls or something. Apparently every kind of soul had magic in it somehow, and it was how the creature's body was capable of processing it that it could be used if at all. Humans don't have the capacity to process it normally, so they can't use magic. It's a biological limitation, not that they don't have it at all like Nino had assumed. So any humans capable of actually using it weren't technically humans because their biology differed, so this became the sub-race of magic users.

Anyways.

Cat Sidhes' magic doesn't constantly regenerate like that, at least not nearly as quickly. Because it's tied to the NeverNever that's where their power _is_ , and if they ventured outside of that realm they would only have so much before they ran out altogether, and then even if they went back it would regenerate very slowly. And all of this kind of relates to also being a cat somehow…

Whatever.

Nino glared at the door leading out of class, kind of done with being completely and wildly confused about _everything_ around him, but he knew even if he just ran out the door there was no getting away from it... He could run as far as he wanted and it still wouldn't make sense.

He was tired…

Ms. Bustier's voice kept talking about things he didn't get, a constant thrum that had been calming to him before but was now slowly agitating him, because he knew that if he let himself listen he wouldn't understand.

Thankfully, it wasn't too much longer before a long, singing chime sounded in the room, and Ms. Bustier suddenly stopped short.

"Oh, well it's time for lunch, alright everyone-," she was saying, starting to spout the classic teacher dismissal but she was promptly drowned out by everyone getting up and starting to fill their bags. Chatter broke out across the classroom and Nino was quick to mimic the others, though he had expected them to leave their things on the desks like they had been when they all came in.

Nino was still stuffing his last book into his bag when he was suddenly aware of Adrien stepping out around their desk, standing near his end and waiting for him to finish so they could go together. Alya and Marinette hesitated as well, lingering near the doorway and shooting them a look before ultimately deciding to move on ahead, probably figuring that leaving him with just the one guide was probably better.

Adrien waited until he was clearly ready before turning towards the door, smiling kindly and only sparing Carter one, nervous look before seemingly steeling himself and focusing only on Nino. It was kind of hilarious actually, enough so to slightly pull him from his growing unease. Both Carter and Adrien seemed intent on pretending the other didn't exist.

"So that's those classes," Adrien started simply, opening the door and gesturing for them to leave, Nino obliging but trading a somewhat weak smile with Ms. Bustier before doing so. She nodded and smiled too, but by the sadness in her eyes it was clear she understood that this had been taxing for him. Still though he moved forward, trying to give Adrien his full attention now seeing as he was still talking.

"-pretty much always like that," he had been saying, the trio stepping into the jarringly normal school hallway that he had sort of forgotten existed. "It's a lot of lecture, worksheets, activities and projects through those classes. It kind of all blends together because we have the same teacher for them all, but we have Ms. Mendeleiev after lunch so that's different at least."

"Oh, right," Nino muttered, trying to participate but also a little nervous remembering the harpy he had met what seemed like days ago at this point. It had only just been this morning. "I met her."

Adrien's expression was kind of funny, pretty much confirming that he had about the same opinion of her as he shrugged, trying to find something encouraging to say as they made it to a flight of stairs and started working their way down.

"She's uh… strict, but a good teacher. You'll learn something whether you want to or not, but we only have her for so long. As long as you don't goof off she won't bother you too much."

Conversation dropped after that, Nino trying to focus on Adrien but hyper aware of the fact that they were moving into the main body of the school where everyone was being released for lunch hour. He had been somewhat spoiled up to this point to have all human-ish classmates, and the one who probably wasn't seemed intent on keeping a glamor on even on school grounds. As they turned into a wide yet still slightly crowded hallway however, he realized that most creatures didn't seem inclined to do that.

His knuckles were white around Carter's leash, the dog on high alert and walking in front of him with a blocking posture as they moved forward, still following Adrien. Nobody looked hostile, they were all just students chatting and putting books in lockers and getting ready for lunch. No one was doing anything wrong, and he was still extremely unsettled.

A pretty girl with long braided hair and a pokemon t-shirt was fiddling with the strap of her bag, the length of it having caught uncomfortably around the bulk of her right wing that sprouted from a custom space in the back of her shirt. It was massive and knobby with a thin, translucent membrane exactly like a bats. Nino jumped and quickly looked away when she turned to face him, noticing abruptly that she had four eyes.

Adrien was talking again but he wasn't listening, just trying to focus on getting through lunch so he could get through classes and get through the day to get through the next.

But he knew that was no way to live…

As they kept moving forward Nino stood up straight, forcing himself to look ahead and not at the ground. He forced himself to acknowledge everything that passed him, every fairy and every Naga and everything he didn't have a name for and wasn't sure he ever would. He solemnly reminded himself that he belonged in that hallway just as much as they did.

He wasn't human either.

Nino was swallowing back that uncomfortable churn in his stomach again when they arrived, Adrien opening one of the large doors and allowing a flood of sound to reach them. Again he was struck by how completely average the school was apart from the active classrooms themselves, because as they entered and Carter took a delicate sniff at the air Nino looked around an absolutely normal school cafeteria.

It was a large open room broken up every once in a while by tall columns, long rectangular tables spanning the space in orderly lines. There were a few without chairs, probably for those with particular seating needs, but for the most part there were normal uncomfortable looking school chairs scratching lines into the plain white tile. On the far side of the room there seemed to be a branch off to where the kitchens were and a place where students could line up and ask for whatever they needed, a fair few already in line but it didn't look like it would be long of a wait. Actually that was the next thing he noticed.

There weren't that many people here at all.

"Hey, uh," Nino spoke up, cutting off whatever it was Adrien had been saying but he didn't seem to mind, just glad he was actually talking to him. He felt a little bad about that. "Um, I just sort of noticed. There were people in the halls and stuff but I was expecting it to be more crowded than this in here, it's not even half full. Do people go home to eat or-…?" He trailed off again, suddenly realizing that maybe going to a whole other realm just to eat wasn't very practical, but then he was even more confused.

"Some people do, a few live nearby or in the city but for the most part everybody eats here. It's just that, since the school is only a few years old, there aren't actually that many students. This is pretty much everybody." Adrien said it nonchalantly, shrugging a bit as he looked over the cafeteria himself. There was maybe a little less than three hundred people at the school, but since the cafeteria was designed to hold a lot more than that when it was a human public school it did seem a little sparse. It wasn't deserted, but there was a lot of empty tables and everyone could spread out.

"Oh… wow," Nino replied, turning with Adrien as they headed towards the food line. He couldn't actually see any lunch ladies, just people milling around waiting for food.

"Were you expecting more people?" Adrien tried conversationally, watching as Nino shrugged in response.

"I guess. I went to kind of a bigger public school before this so uh… it's a lot less crowded. Makes sense though, I just hadn't thought about it."

"What was your public school like?" Adrien asked, surprising the young werewolf with the genuine interest behind the question. "I never went to school before coming here, to be honest not many schools exist in the NeverNever. Um," he hesitated, his look blank for a second before he quickly explained. "That's where I'm from. I live there with my guardian but left to start going to school here. This is my first year."

"Oh, that's cool, I kind of read about that place a little…," Nino added vaguely, pulling Carter to a stop as they reached the line. He recognized Kim and Max as the two in front of them but they were wrapped up in their own conversation.

It took seeing Adrien shift awkwardly in place for him to realize that he had failed to answer his question, but even once he saw what he had done he didn't move to fix it. He didn't really get the point of answering; he wasn't sure what he would even say that wouldn't come off as offensive. The only thing he could think to say was, 'It's normal.'

He couldn't say that… it wouldn't mean anything to him. This was Adrien's normal. This was _his_ normal now.

Thinking about how things were before… what would it get him. He could tell Adrien about the people and the subjects and the homework and the neighborhoods, but there wasn't any point in doing that now.

What was focusing on normal going to get him…

He was quiet for the rest of the wait.

When they sat they did so in silence, Adrien having taken the lead and ordered their food when it seemed obvious that even acknowledging the creatures working in the kitchen would have been too much to ask of him. Adrien had ordered him the most standard human fair he could think of, and Nino spent his silence staring at the waxy, unappealing surface of his cafeteria-grade pizza. He appreciated on some level even through his growing numbness the fact that cafeteria pizza remained about as awful no matter where you went.

They started eating without saying anything and Nino chewed without tasting, flinching when he felt sharp canines cut through the bread. He cursed under his breath, dropping the food back to the tray roughly and ignoring Adrien's concerned stare. He saw the Sidhe's eyes flash to the food, probably wondering if it had been of offense somehow but… when Adrien looked at him again it seemed clear that the boy was intuitive enough to get that that wasn't the problem.

He also seemed smart enough not to comment.

The cafeteria around them was alive in muted conversation, but they did nothing to add to the din as Nino tried to focus on evening his breathing, willing the slight change to subside. As over ten minutes passed he shifted nervously in his seat, grinding his still too-sharp teeth together and fighting a small spark of panic.

This had happened a few times, it upset him every time and it reminded him vividly in that horrible feeling he had experienced in the forest when he first woke up.

It was like he was unraveling… it seemed like such a small thing, but what unsettled him is that he _knew_ , he knew it was just the first thing. He never even felt it when it happened, his teeth shifting somehow to be longer, sharper. He only knew of it when he felt them catch, and then suddenly he was fighting it, forcing it to go back. He had figured it came about when he was the most agitated, but he hadn't had this much trouble getting it to go away.

Abruptly the silence between himself and Adrien felt involuntary, too afraid to speak now for fear of him seeing. It wasn't getting any worse, not now that he was fighting it, but I wasn't going away either. Some part of him knew that Adrien wouldn't judge him, the boy had been doing his absolute best to make him at ease and talk to him normally. Still though, he hesitated to break the silence like he had intended to eventually, when he had calmed down again. He intended to apologize for being rude or quiet. He wanted to tell Adrien he was just having a hard time right now. It made him sort of wish that the witch was there, since she always seemed to know. Maybe she could have passed it along, but he and Adrien were alone at their table.

Save, of course, for Carter.

The German Shepherd whined audibly, drawing the boys' attention towards the anxiously fidgeting animal that was crowded between the table supports and his owner's knees. When Nino looked down at him the Shepherd jammed his head between Nino's lap and the table top, whining again.

'You're not okay! We should leave, we can leave. Let's just go!'

Nino stiffened slightly, something like shame heating his arms and curling his hands into fists on the table. He wanted to defend himself, scold his dog and tell him he was fine, that he had it under control… but he hesitated to open his mouth.

'Nino,' Carter whined again, pushing his head further so he could look up at him, 'let's just leave. We can go to the room. We'll calm down, you can be okay. Then we can go back to class, let's leave now.'

Nino stared down at him, focusing on the grounding feeling of his dog pushing up from beneath the table to be as near to him as he could, his leash caught around his own legs and making his movements awkward but urgent. Carter's dark eyes stared up at him and his enduring whines rattled in his throat… until Nino gave in.

"That might be a good idea…" he allowed, feeling weak for it but he had to be realistic. He kept his head angled low as he said it, hiding most of his face from Adrien who was watching him intently now.

He was desperately trying to brainstorm an excuse when Adrien spoke for the first time in ages, Nino looking up in surprise as he did.

"You said Carter was thirsty earlier, right? If you're done eating, I can clean up here. You can go and take care of him."

Nino was stunned, Adrien's expression concerned but open, like he was trying to convey something he didn't want to admit, for Nino's sake. But his intention was clear, and Nino bowed his head again in a mix of shame and gratitude.

He was giving him an out, plain and simple.

"… thanks."

"Any time."

Adrien smiled slightly, doing his best to be readable and open without Nino misinterpreting his concern as fear. He was surprised when Nino didn't move right away, picking up Carter's leash but not moving to stand just yet, mulling something over.

"I'm sorry-," he said sort of suddenly, like he was forcing himself to do it before he left. He lifted his head as he spoke, unable to look him in the eye but at least not hiding his face. "I really appreciate what you've been doing, and I keep stiffing you but-…" he hesitated before adding quietly, still looking away, "Today's just kind of been hard. It's nothing personal."

Adrien caught the flash of Nino's teeth again as he spoke, the boy bravely facing towards him and letting him see in a show of faith somehow. Nino only looked at him once to gauge his reaction, but Adrien barely seemed to notice, just offering a small smile.

"I get it; you don't have to explain it." Adrien answered quickly, wanting to give him the freedom to leave as quickly as he felt he needed to. He didn't move from his seat as Nino stood up, unable to keep from noticing that Nino's shoulders were shaking now as he quickly guided Carter out from under the table, the Shepherd pulling ahead and heading straight for the door.

Even though Carter didn't spare him a glance Nino looked back, nodding his head again in thanks before heading out, moving quickly but trying his best not to draw attention to himself.

Nino could feel people looking at him, his dog pulling at the leash drawing their eyes but they stayed focused on him as he left, Carter pushing at the doors until Nino could open them for him. He wondered what it looked like to them, or if this was something they had been expecting. Maybe they stared because no one was surprised, they were all waiting for him to lose it or panic and run.

Maybe everybody was waiting for him to fall apart just like he was.

He shook his head sharply as they stepped out into the hallway, trying to push away those thoughts as Carter started pulling them towards where he knew their room was. He let his dog lead the way through the mostly empty hallway, walking quickly past what few loiterers were still around switching things from their lockers or talking amongst themselves. His footsteps sounded so loud to him and the scrabble of Carter's feet were grating at his eardrums, even the sound of people chattering innocently or closing their lockers was agitating. He just needed some space, a few seconds alone to pretend like everything was normal.

He clenched his jaw and shivered at the points of his teeth, walking faster still. He had been doing so well, he just didn't have the endurance yet to make it through a day, that was okay, more than fair. He just needed a few minutes to relax, then he could go back to class. He could apologize to Adrien again and keep taking notes and make it through the day. So much of it had been alright, it had already been so much better than he had any right to expect it to be. He just needed a break.

Carter clattered clumsily up the steps towards the second floor, looking over his shoulder whenever he could and trying to stay calm, taking in Nino's shell-shocked expression and moving even faster.

He remembered in enough time that he wasn't allowed to run to keep from bolting the moment he landed on the second floor, still tugging Nino forward and pulling him as his steps seemingly lost momentum. His boy was unnervingly close to a breaking point, but if Carter could just get him to the room they could sit together until things got better.

All the odd smelling, unnervingly intense people around them had ground down his tolerance, so he just needed to recharge before they went back to class. Carter was convinced that the odd company was to blame, which means he was frustrated instantly to see one of the foul smelling children from class further down the hall, leaning against the railing across from the turn they needed to get to their room. He understood that picking a fight and running her off would be bad, Nino would be very upset with him and she hadn't technically done anything wrong… she was just very much so in Carter's way.

Nino was barely looking ahead as Carter tugged him forward again, their pace comparatively slower than before but he wasn't in a place to notice, focusing desperately on pushing the avalanche of sounds away from him and keeping the shaking from his shoulders. He didn't see the girl until they were about to pass her, looking at her dully even before she managed to hear them coming.

Sabrina the teenage mummy was flipping through her notes not far outside the classroom they had spent the morning in, her binder set against the railing as she flipped between her own page of notes and a half filled one, copying the lines quickly. It might have been her diligence that kept her from noticing him until he was nearly next to her, or maybe the gauzy wrappings over her ears muffled his footsteps, but regardless of why when she turned to look up she clearly wasn't expecting him to be so close. And she certainly wasn't expecting it to be him.

She gasped fearfully, nearly dropping her binder of the edge but scrambling back quickly, pulling it towards her and against her chest in a flurry of displaced papers. Nino froze in place, jerking Carter to a stop as the girl backed up, breathing heavily from her fright and staring at him through the parted wrappings with bright, youthful eyes wide in fear.

Nino felt something sharp and uncomfortable shoot through his body, shame and guilt compelling him to do something even though his mind demanded he did nothing. He just surprised her, he hadn't meant to, but saying something was a mistake, he only made it worse.

"I'm sorry!" he blurted out, his hands raised even as he clutched the leash in an attempt to placate her. "I didn't mean to scare y-,"

He had been watching her eyes through the gaps in the wrapping, for a moment forgetting that she was any kind of monster at all and only hyper aware of himself and how he might look to her. So when her eyes flickered down when he opened his mouth to speak panic choked the words in his throat, watching as she _flinched_ and pulled away.

"I-it's fine! It's fine, I just- I wasn't watching, I-I…-," her voice was pleasant and girlish but broken in a panicked stutter as she started to back away, one wrapped hand gesturing towards the far staircase as she quickly made an exit. She said a few things more, but the words never reached him, Nino watching with his mouth shut tight as she left in a hurry, nearly running away from him as he stood with his hands frozen helplessly in the air.

"I-… I didn't mean to…," he couldn't help but utter aloud, the words thick as it felt like his throat closed in on itself. He felt Carter tug but he didn't move, watching the whole time as she left as quick as she could, standing still until she was completely out of sight… and for a while more.

So far a lot of his fears and guilt had been stuck in his head, trying to convince him he was so much worse then everyone around him with barely any evidence to work with. He got a few stares, a few wide berths, maybe two cruel comments. But he had had acceptance too, a handful of kind people and reassurance that people weren't afraid of him. That he was more afraid of himself then anybody.

He fixated on the empty space Sabrina had left behind, only a lost piece of paper marking the place she had been.

He had probably just scared her, caught her off guard… but she lived in this world. This was her normal, and s-she still…

Flinched.

He couldn't move, something akin to disgust settling in his throat and keeping him from answering his dog or even looking down at him as he numbly dropped the leash. He didn't want to open his mouth again; he didn't want to feel it or anyone else to see. Even Carter might cower, or run. And as his shoulders started to shake and he felt that same unsettling shifting in his spine, he started to move.

He stumbled slightly, abruptly off balance as the over sensory pounding of noise subsided into a distant, muddled murmur like he had been plunged underwater.

Nino was aware of that feeling in his stomach again, the feeling he had kept attributing as dread or anxiety or panic, settling in his chest and constricting his breathing the more he focused on it. It creeped up and through him, gagging him as he broke into a run, desperate to get inside.

By the time he had turned the last corner into the abandoned, dim hallway and was fumbling for the lock on his door, he was starting to hyperventilate.

'Nino! Nino it's okay!' Carter was barking, whining urgently in panic as he only just managed to dart inside in time and Nino slammed the door behind them, catching part of the leash with it as it rattled in the doorframe. Nino didn't notice though, and nor did Carter at first until Nino stumbled away, nearly falling as he headed towards his bed. Carter sprinted after him when he was abruptly choked, his momentum so strong that it threw his body out ahead of him and he was dazed for a second. The Shepherd looked up at the taunt leash binding him to the door and looked back in time to see his boy gasping, his whole body shaking as he wrapped his arms around himself.

'Nino!' Carter barked again, thrashing against the leash and digging his claws into the slick tile, twisting his head and choking himself in the process in an attempt to pull free of his collar. In that moment he couldn't speak, but he hoped that even in his panic Nino could tell what he was shouting. 'I'm trying! I'm coming!'

He recalled dimly, distantly, a comparison he had made before. Something he had thought when he first woke up and read the letter. Something he had felt when he first realized he wasn't human anymore.

It was like unraveling.

He was holding himself, keeping himself together as he tried to stay standing, abandoning the hope of movement and just trying to stand up straight. He could feel it pulling him down, trying to make him right, trying to teach him what he was. He couldn't hide from it, it was in everything around him, it was in everyone's face when they saw him, it was in Sabrina's frightened eyes. Every 'other' he met or passed by and every second he was asked to just be brave pulled at him, corrected him every time he tried to lie.

' _I'm a person. I'm just a_ _ **person**_ _.'_

No he wasn't… he wasn't.

Not anymore.

He cried out when he was forced to his knees, starting to beg to nothing as his spine shifted and his teeth ached, like they were abruptly too crowded, like they needed more space. It moved so _easily_ , like all the pathways had already been made, like they had been forged in that nightmare he remembered in pieces. It would be so _easy_ , it would happen so fast, he knew it would if he just… let go.

If he just gave up.

"I don't want to," he begged to no one, his voice shaking as his body bent and he pulled against it desperately. "I don't want to, I don't want this. I-I don't want to see. _Please_ ," he pleaded wretchedly, but his voice was cut off by sudden pain and it warped into a gasp as he felt something displace.

He was huddled to the ground now, trying to beg but having no strength to, every scrape of his consciousness pulled together to prolong what he couldn't stop, not when it was already this far. He had stopped it before, by convincing himself he was human, by remembering what that was… but he couldn't find those thoughts now. He couldn't ignore what he knew was true.

He couldn't hear Carter, or even himself as he panted and sobbed. He didn't want to, he didn't want any of this. But some part of him knew that it wouldn't hurt if he just stopped.

It wouldn't hurt anymore if he just gave in. Let it be true, admit it there was no escaping it anyways. It didn't matter what he told himself, it wouldn't even matter if he kept it all together, because how long could he last? Until the next moon came, then he wouldn't even have that much. He wasn't human… he never would be again.

This school, these people, their lives and their worlds and his scar a-and everything…

It didn't matter what he said or did.

He wasn't human.

Why should he pretend…

He stopped… his will to fight it draining out as it swept over him, unnervingly… instantaneous. It seemed so unfair that who he was could just be erased, overwritten by something else the second he stopped trying to prevent it. It was like being what he had been before was what had taken so much effort… and maybe that was true. He was so overwhelmed and frightened by everything that made him feel inhuman that holding himself together became a burden, or else he'd go back. And feeling it now… it was so quick…

It was so easy…

'… Nino?'

Carter had stopped pulling, turning in time to see as Nino's huddled form… folded, even further to the ground now as his body relaxed. He was still breathing heavily, his side rising and falling erratically but slowly starting to balance out. The sound was so different now, the panting or even just the breathing. And the form was all wrong, it was all wrong.

Carter took another step forward, as far as he could and pulled against the leash in an attempt to see him clearly ten feet ahead of him but it was a mess, a heap of strained clothing. It was all pulled against him or loose in places it shouldn't, most of it tugged out of place and working mostly to restrain him… not that he was moving enough to tell.

He was just breathing, crumpled on the floor.

'Nino?' Carter tried again, his name a long, drawn out whine. He didn't have the courage to bark anymore, the roof deafeningly quiet now that Nino had fallen silent.

Just the breath in, and out. And the silence of their empty classroom wing.

Carter paced in his radius, testing the leash again and again but unable to slip away from it without hurting himself. That was a last option… and though he wanted to go to him things seemed to have settled. He was so confused.

'I'm stuck,' Carter whined after a moment, trying to be audible so Nino could understand him, even if he couldn't look at him. 'But I'm right here. I'm right next to you here, I-I'll stay right here. It's okay now, see? It's quiet now. I'll stay with you.'

Carter waited, one paw raised as if he could take another step towards him as he leaned against the leash. He waited for Nino to reply but he didn't. So after a little while, Carter sat down, but he kept watching the pile. Waiting for it to move… waiting for anything.

Carter tried to be patient, he tried to be a good boy. He had already barked so much more than he was allowed to but he had been scared, and Nino had been in pain. But now Nino was quiet… he was breathing, he was alive but he wasn't moving. Carter would feel so much better if he could just get to him, check him, keep him warm.

But the best he could do was lie down, his head held up by the tightness of the leash.

He waited, and he waited and he waited, never looking away, never barking. He waited… until finally, something stirred.

Carter was on his feet instantly, staring intently at the tight, misfitting pile of clothing as it started to move. It was facing away from him now but Carter could see movement, something dark against the plain light tiles. It swiveled, large and upright and covered in dark fur, until it seemed to abruptly become aware of itself and it flattened fearfully against its head. As soon as it did the whole mound shifted, and suddenly a shaking, frightened whine sounded.

It was the kind of sound that had no translation but didn't need one, sounding again as the mound moved more dramatically, clothing straining and slipping loose as a clawed paw caught in the fabric of the shorts. It became more desperate, pleading and weak. Like the endless murmur of 'no' when nothing makes sense… When somethings unfair.

The creature couldn't stand, entangled in the clothes or just too weak to support itself, or too unwilling. The more it moved the more distressed it became, as if every action and sensation confirmed something so terrifying it couldn't bare it. Its whine sounded again and it was sharp and broken, the sound of it so desperate that Carter immediately reacted, pulling forward only to be held back once again.

'It's okay!' he sounded, hoping the animal would face him so he could say it more clearly. 'Hey! Don't be scared, it's okay! I'm right here, don't be- don't…' his words fell short and he stopped, listening to the constant, terrified sounds.

It was so different, and he looked so different, but the distant memory of the mismatched tracks in the forest that helped him find his boy held off his doubt. And even with that all he had to do was sniff for him again and he would be sure. It was that different part of his smell, the part that changed ever since that woman had tried to hurt him, the part that got so much stronger after he ran away and tried to leave Carter behind. But it was still him. It might be hard to understand, but that was okay. As long as Nino was okay then this was okay…

But he was so scared.

'Nino,' Carter tried again, saying his name confidently. When he didn't get a response he abandoned his conviction and barked again, watching as Nino reacted against his will to turn his ears towards the sound, his wordless pleading faltering for a second.

'Everything's okay, you don't have to be scared!' Carter assured him, standing on his hind legs and pulling against the leash even as he continued to face him. 'It's okay, I promise its okay! You aren't hurting anymore, and I'm right here. And we are can sit here and I'll wait with you the whole time until things go back. And if they don't then that's okay too, and I'll be right here. I told you that I'm not leaving and I'm not.'

Carter stepped back a little, waiting until he saw the mass of dark fur turn enough to show intense, terrified golden eyes watching him in something almost like disbelief. And that was no good, so he laid down to prove it, settling in to show him he wasn't going to go anywhere.

Again he wished he could be closer, but asking Nino to move might be too much. So he just stayed.

Carter kept watching, aware the second the eyes moved away from him just by the sheer intensity of their color against such dark fur. It was difficult to see, all slumped together as he was, but the difference in color between where his light colored clothes slid away and the dark fur that coated his mismatched body was clear even in the heap.

Carter could see the head more clearly as it raised up awkwardly, the long angled muzzle turning heavily until the creature could see itself. When it did it jerked sharply, whining and stumbling as its legs instinctively tried to find purchase but wobbled and caved, crashing it back to the ground.

'I can't…' Carter finally heard, the Shepherds ears perking up in response to the voice that was… different, but still familiar to him. It was the same sort of way that Carter spoke whereas Nino usually used words and sounds, but now he was talking Carter's way, an audible cry accompanying it weakly. 'I can't, I can't…'

'The clothes are catching your legs,' Carter offered, misunderstanding but trying to help. 'If you kick them off you can stand.'

'Carter… I- what do I do, I don't know what to do-,' Nino's head turned back to look at him, the motion heavy, his eyes exactly the same even if everything was so different. The wolf's head was huge compared to Carter's, even when his ears were laid flat as they were.

'You've just got to kick them off, so then you can stand. And you can walk over here, and we can wait together.'

'That's not what I mean!' Nino suddenly growled, the sound so powerful that both of them jolted, Carter ducking his head slightly. Seeing this the wolf tried to move again, loosely kicking at the shorts with a hard scrape of its claws against the tile. 'I'm sorry! Don't be scared, please don't be scared…'

Carter paused, tilting his head a little as he stared at the brown furred face of his friend. 'I'm not scared, not anymore. I thought you were in pain, but you're better now. So I'm not scared.'

Nino pulled back, his body language infinitely readable to him even if his face was not. Nino was terrified, uncertain and confused… and he kept staring at him like he couldn't understand at all.

'Why aren't you scared of me?'

Carter couldn't help but huff a little, confused himself now that he had to reiterate this. 'Why would I be scared of you?'

'Look at me!' Nino barked at him, moving again as he finally managed to kick his shorts to the ground. A long dark tail unfurled and tucked beneath him as he tried to stand again, struggling still but managing to be upright even if it was unsteady. Four long legs stretched beneath him, the size and scale of him much more real to Carter now that he could see him standing. The remains of his shirt were tight against his chest and forced the shaggy brown fur out around it awkwardly in wild tufts, the whole creature shaking on its massive, clawed paws. Freed from the formlessness of the crumpled heap Carter could see him clearly, a huge and powerful darkly furred animal twice Carter's size. Illuminated by the dusty filter of the long unused windows… Carter could admit that if he ever crossed this creature on his own he would be scared…

But not if it was Nino. Not even for a moment.

'You look like me,' Carter commented unhelpfully, his tail brushing the floor behind him.

Nino hesitated to respond, choking on his words in this foreign body. He had tried for so long not to move at all, not to feel anything as he prayed and prayed things would go back. But he was too panicked, too horrified… no matter how much he prayed he didn't change back… he couldn't ignore the bend of his legs, the low animalistic panting, the heaviness of his face. As he stood there shaking he could feel his _tail_ beneath him, his ears huge but flattened against his skull. Every time he parted his muzzle to bark some inhuman sound he could feel the weight and length of his teeth slide past each other, he could feel the difference of _everything_ and he was screaming in his head-

But Carter just laid there, dutifully close, tail sweeping the floor slowly to tell him everything was okay. And he didn't understand.

He knew if he was human he'd be crying… but wolves didn't have tears for moments like this. So the emotion overflowed inside of him as he quaked in hurt and fear… overwhelming him as he felt completely lost inside himself.

This was what he was now… this is what he had been ever since he blacked out. And he couldn't get away from it, no matter what he-

'Nino…' Carter whined, his ears sliding back as he stared helplessly at his shaking friend. 'Please come here. I don't understand, I don't know what's wrong.'

The wolf didn't raise its head right away… the two creatures standing in the barren silence of their borrowed room. Everything about this moment was borrowed, mismatched… or broken. And everything was so much different than it had ever been before they both ran away from home, but Carter still stayed as close as he could.

Nino raised his head, watching his dog as it carefully watched him. And he asked again.

'Why aren't you afraid of this?'

Nino watched over the length of his heavy muzzle as Carter looked at him without any kind of fear besides concern… until finally Carter said simply,

'Because you're my boy.'

There wasn't much to say, when things were so confusing. One was untethered, the other was anchored… and Nino was struck again by the sensation that in another moment he might have cried if he was capable. He was disgusted and angry, scared and desperate. But Carter was patient, showing resolutely that he wasn't going to leave.

Nino took a step forward, nearly falling from the unfamiliar movement and cringing away from the feeling of thick, calloused pads spreading on the tile. He thought to move again but hesitated, unsure of how and frustrated by it. After a moment he looked to Carter, the Shepherd saying nothing but gesturing with his head, encouraging him to continue. So Nino took a step with his hind leg and struggled to breathe evenly. Awkwardly and heavily, constricted by his mostly ruined shirt, he hobbled his way towards his dog, noting distantly the leash that was practically choking him.

As he approached Carter waited for him, standing to back up when Nino looked again at the leash and ducked his long face to nudge his chest, pushing him back until the leash went slack. Even standing Nino towered over the Shepherd, looking away with his ears still flat and his tail still shaking beneath him.

'Sit,' Carter told him simply, one paw raising to gesture awkwardly similar to how Nino might have done it. If the wolf noted it as familiar he didn't say, sitting back on his haunches just as uncomfortably as he did everything while he was like this. Carter wasn't sure if this was forever, or just for now or somewhere in between, but it was clearly upsetting for him and he was trying to find some way to make it better. But there was only so much he could think to do, and there was so many things about all of this that he didn't, and couldn't understand. So he did what he could.

He stayed with him.

Carter put his chin on Nino's shoulder, craning his neck a bit and scooting forward to make it work, and after a short while of pushing and moving he got him to lay down with a huff.

He was stiff and clumsy and his legs too long and his chest too narrow, but Carter was persistent in gently pushing him down, until they were both laying down with Carter pressing warmth into his side. Nino was used to feeling the soft brush of his fur when he touched him but he couldn't feel that now, not through his own… h-his-

Nino started shaking again, his head ducking and a whine creeping through his throat when suddenly Carter was there, his head and muzzle turning to press into his neck, keeping his head up. The feeling was… weird, his dog curling into his throat and rubbing his head there. It wasn't because it was uncomfortable or too sudden, but because without saying anything it had this undeniably positive intention. Like someone clapping a hand on your shoulder or holding you abruptly. He could feel Carter's tail wagging slowly behind them, thumping softly on his back legs.

'It's okay,' he was saying, without real words in the way that dogs do. 'You're scared and that's fine, you can be scared if you want to, but I'm right here. And when you're done being scared I'm here too. We can just wait.'

Nino was frozen, overwhelmed still by unraveling and what felt so potently like being rewritten… but by Carter too. By such calm, steady acceptance.

'You don't hate me?' Nino asked him, pulling away just enough so that Carter would look up at him again. He knew what the answer would be, and it was something steady when he felt so unattached. 'You don't think this is… bad?'

Carter gave him a look that he had seen once before, when he first found him and tackled him to the ground on the side of the road after searching for him endlessly. It was a look that could only be _baffled_ , even though he had understood the words perfectly.

'Why would this make me hate you?'

Nino felt a rumbled sound of distress escape him as he was faced with Carter's question, trying to find some way to make him understand how bad this was, how dangerous. But he was struggling, fumbling to convey it in this weird, confusing language.

'Because this is WRONG, because I'm a monster…,'

'You're not a monster,' Carter corrected instantly, his posture relaxing as he realized Nino was just confused again. He repeated himself, patiently, 'You're Nino.'

Nino didn't respond… he wasn't sure he could. Carter said it easily, in the simple kind of understanding that only a dog could have of something so complex and awful. But even as Nino was faced with how utterly inhuman he was Carter laid next to him, leaning his weight into his side and curling into him to wait with him until things got better.

After a handful more impossibly long moments, Carter pushed his head beneath Nino's again, and was surprised but pleased to have the gesture hesitantly reciprocated. It was clear his boy wasn't entirely sure how, but after a few stiff moments the movement became more natural, an instinctive response that he allowed to play out.

The wolf bent its head, turning into his companion as well before laying down, his head across the Shepherd's back. In return the dog turned and laid his head down on the wolf's feet, comfortably curled together in a way that kept Nino from shaking anymore.

The cold tile in the silent, room warmed beneath them slowly. Whereas everything about the pushed, stacked desks and the dusty clinical bed felt borrowed in this space so far away from home, Carter was something from before. The only thing that had stayed.

He couldn't keep Nino from thinking, or doubting or really from being afraid… but he could do this.

They could wait together until things got better.


	10. Chapter 10

The ambience of aimless chatter was building slowly, Adrien only aware of the growing crowd because of the absences in it. As students started to regroup in anticipation for the lunch period to end Adrien tried to swallow his unease, but he could feel his heart sinking as time went on. It wasn't exactly a nervous feeling, or fear or anything else, of course it wasn't. He had to acknowledge though that there were likely quite a few people on this campus who would be terrified if they knew what was going on, or what he assumed had happened at least. It would explain why he still hadn't come back.

Yeah… it was a much sadder feeling than that.

Adrien sagged against the stairs, looking at nothing as kids started to file past him and up towards their classes. Part of him wondered if he should even feel so involved, but he shook off that thought pretty quickly. His hand tightened into a fist around the strap of his school bag, turning and looking up the stairs and down a hall that no one else really noticed.

It didn't matter if Nino was practically a stranger, it didn't mean it wasn't… terrible. They had only had brief moments of actually speaking but Adrien got more of glimpse into what was hurting him than anymore else had so far, and what he had seen had admittedly shaken him.

When he gave Nino an out at the beginning of lunch he had been impressed when Nino apologized, surprised that he had even taken a moment to think about someone else. He _apologized_ for being rude, and not having it together. Like anybody had any right to expect him to be okay in the first place.

Even when he was falling apart he was trying so hard to be brave, and had shown Adrien a moment of trust since he had so few people to rely on. It was short, but when he had left in a hurry Adrien had been left sitting alone, and he thought that the moment showed a lot about him.

He was ashamed, and scared, and had a prideful instinct he seemed to fight off, but he was also kind and earnest. Even when he was so damn scared he had really, really tried to make it through the day and meet everything head on. He had been tense and reserved but he showed up, and now having even a slightly clearer picture of just how insurmountable that must have been Adrien couldn't think of him as anything other than brave. Again though his shoulders fell, because he knew that back in his room Nino probably felt like a coward. And that was so intensely unfair.

Students filed around him and talked and bantered without any regard. They were just as uninvolved, but something sat in his gut and kept him where he was even if he knew he should be heading to class.

It was worse than watching something sad happen to someone you don't know. It's sad, of course it is, but you're distant enough to know you _can't_ do anything, and hope that someone else can. You hope that the stranger has someone who can do something. This was worse, because he knew that he didn't.

He was a classmate at best, one that probably just made things worse because he was another unknown. He had known him for one day, and it was sympathy that motivated him to linger as well as a little of that moment of honesty.

There were only one or two people left in the quad when he decided he couldn't wait any longer, thinking that maybe the best he could do was cover for him in class. If he came back the next day to try again it's possible that he would appreciate the fact that Adrien had thought to take notes for him and give an excuse to the teacher. Maybe that would be a good move, or should he check on him in his room? Or was that too far… it probably was. Nino seemed prideful enough that having an audience would probably just upset him, but doing _nothing_ didn't sit right with him either.

He was lost in thought as he made his way up the stairs, hurrying now that he knew he needed to speak with the teacher. He was doing his best to formulate an excuse that didn't paint Nino in a bad light as he reached the landing and jogged down the hall, only slowing in front of that empty, unused hallway.

Adrien held for a moment to look down the tiled, vacant halls that led to the unused wing of the school, hovering helplessly, knowing that somewhere in there…

He paused for only a few seconds more before leaving, running off to class as the bell rang to do what little he could.

* * *

This time, Adrien made very, very sure to be at school on time.

He had a nearly obsessive amount of precautions against sleeping in, and a strict request of his guardian to make sure he left when he was supposed to. That of course did nothing, Plagg was the laziest cat he had ever met, but still, he had wanted to set up as many things as he could. He had composed a plan in his head the night before, going over it now as he ran through the entrance and looked around at the scattering of students who had already arrived.

He had to be subtle, real cool about it. He had made up his mind to be utterly casual, act like Nino hadn't needed to bail early and just be happy to see him, since he had never rejoined the class by the time school ended. He was going to be as even as possible all day, treat him just as kindly as he had the first time and make sure Nino knew he wasn't going to hold anything against him. To Adrien this was a given, of course he wouldn't treat him differently, but it was important that Nino knew that too.

Adrien had already committed to the idea of befriending the new student when Ms. Bustier first mentioned it to him, but now he understood why she had asked. It wasn't just the discomfort of being the new guy, and at the time he had vaguely understood that he must be having a hard time but… he hadn't had any idea. Now it was just that much more important, and he scanned the thin crowd with determination.

He paced forward a few steps, slowly sorting through the faces in the crowd. There were about fifty or so people already there, a small handful of kids living at the school itself or nearby in the human parts of the city. When you lived in an area of others school became a safe place to relax and be yourself, so students were more inclined to be early then at schools in the Far Lands, he assumed.

He wasn't surprised to not see him there, getting to know people on his own free will probably an ambitious expectation, but he lived on the school campus so he could show up at any time. Adrien remained optimistic, adjusting his school bag and making his way up to the classroom to wait for him.

He considered hanging around the quad to see if he could catch Marinette and Alya like he usually did, but when he reached the landing his gaze flickered again to the hall he knew Nino's room must be down and decided against it. Nino in all likelihood would walk straight from his room to class, so he just decided to be at their desk already waiting instead. He could set out the notes he had taken for him and maybe catch Ms. B for a second to talk, if the room was empty.

When Nino wasn't with him when they switched back to her from Ms. Mendeleiev she had visibly paused, looking through the students as they walked in and moved to their seats with a completely even expression. They only time she slipped was when she calmly approached him to ask where he was, and he could see a flash of something in her expression. She had just nodded, asking him to take diligent notes on his behalf and left without adding anything more, but even when he agreed he had looked over his shoulder to Marinette.

It was common knowledge that one of Marinette's passive abilities was the detection of emotion, something that at first had pretty largely annoyed her classmates. Adrien had thought it was fascinating when had met her at the beginning of the school year, but could understand why it might bother some people. It did leave you feeling partially exposed when you were trying to hide something, but knew she could see right through you. It wasn't something she could help though, so eventually everyone just accepted that she could see them openly with the unspoken agreement that she was as unobtrusive as possible about it.

With that understanding though it had been second nature for Adrien to check Marinette's face as Ms. Bustier walked away, and frowned when he saw that she looked worried.

Ms. B might have tried to hide her concern, but he could see it clearly reflected in Marinette.

Adrien tried to shake the memory, forcefully reminding himself to be positive. Nino might not be able to clearly see every emotion like Marinette could, but people could still naturally pick up on things. If he was worried or pitying Nino was going to be able to tell, and he had already made a promise to himself to be as normal as possible, for his sake. So he was going to treat him like anyone else and that was the end of it.

Adrien didn't knock or pause outside, walking straight into the classroom when he arrived outside of the unassuming door. He was greeted with the familiar sight of the room almost 80% of his education took place in, noting right away that a few people were already there.

Mylene was hovering near Ivan's desk, looking at something the golem had been nervously showing her, hoping for the shy nymph's approval. Nathaneal was already sitting behind them, minding his own business and fiddling with some dark black ink bottles in the back that look half used. Alix was there early as well, but was flat out asleep on her desk as the teacher milled around in the front, trying to get ready for class.

Adrien said his good mornings and walked the short distance to his desk to settle in to wait, careful not to spread out like he was used to doing.

As he waited he pulled out his notes, as well as his extra set of notes for Nino and set them on his side of the desk. If you hadn't been there to meet him the day before you might not have been able to tell he had been there at all, his side of things completely empty and not much of a trace left if you weren't as close as Adrien was. His sense of smell was better than most, but the stink of Nino's dog overpowered anything Nino might have left behind, Adrien's expression twisting a little when reminded of the animal.

He was fine with it, honestly, but the dog was very not fine with him and it made him nervous. He knew if it wasn't loyal to its friend it probably would have attacked him on sight. Despite the dog though Adrien was determined to befriend Nino anyways, and he'd like to see it say something about it.

He was reminded of Plagg's reaction when he had detailed the day for him once he got home, his guardian having been about as disinterested as always until he mentioned the pet dog his new classmate kept with him. He had been stretched out on the cluttered counter in the room that served as their kitchen, lounging in the light until Adrien mentioned Carter.

"A _dog_?!" he demanded, the sleek black cat visibly bristling and twisting around just so Adrien could see his grimace. "The Werewolf is one thing but a _dog_ is just distracting, I wouldn't have put up with it."

Adrien had frowned at the way Plagg disregarded Nino at the time, but seeing his Sidhe elder pouting in distaste had been pretty funny anyways.

He rolled an old pen between his fingers, letting his thoughts lapse over themselves and allowing time to pass. He tapped the plastic against the soft binding of his textbooks, distantly aware of the classroom filling while the seat beside him remained empty.

He was still patient when Kim and Max arrived, giving a polite hello to Chloe when she greeted him enthusiastically. He deliberately discouraged conversation with the sphinx, knowing she had a… disapproving personality and not wanting her waiting around for when Nino got there. She left with Sabrina when she hurried in with Chloe's recently finished school work, Juleka drifting in along with Rose.

When Alya and Marinette walked in together, chatting between themselves Adrien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, Marinette looking up and the girls slowing in front of his desk.

Adrien watched Alya's eyes land on the empty seat before looking up to him, his expression set as Marinette looked him in the face.

He tried to smother his slight unease, looking past them towards the door as it swung shut behind them, the classroom filled with chatter as no one seemed to notice that not everyone was there. Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of something she was prepared to say. Instead she just said, "Good morning Adrien," and moved to sit behind him. Alya said nothing and did the same, her expression unreadable, and whatever easy conversation she had been entertaining lost as suddenly they were all slightly sobered.

Adrien kept tapping his pen, shifting in his seat again.

Class would be starting soon…

He waited only a few more minutes before standing, knowing that Ms. Bustier was about to start teaching as she drew away from her desk with a few papers in her hands. He had a small window to still speak with her before the entire class would be called to attention.

He ignored the feeling of the girls watching him and stepped to the front of the class, catching his teacher before she was fully in the center of the room and seeming to surprise her, though she still smiled warming and professionally. He smiled back, though he wasn't sure how it looked.

"Good morning Adrien," she greeted him, the cervitaur smiling down at him.

"Um, good morning," Adrien answered, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he looked up at her. "I just wanted to ask if Nino would be getting here before we started? I have the notes from yesterday ready for him, I was going to try and run him through some of it before lecture started, um if-…"

He trailed off, watching as Ms. Bustier's expression evened again.

The classroom still chattered around him, for the most part unaffected as he felt a chill run across his back, Ms. Bustier speaking calmly and her face giving nothing away.

"Actually, thank you for being prepared for him but unfortunately Nino won't be joining us today. If you could hold on to those until he's ready for them I'm sure he would appreciate it."

Adrien stared for a moment, finally saying, "Oh. Well, um, do you know if he's going to be here tomorrow?"

Ms. Bustier hesitated, just for a moment, before she gave him a very careful smile. "Yes I believe so. Thank you for waiting for him but it's time for us to get started, so if you could please take your seat."

She gestured out for him to sit and he hesitated again, watching her face before finally he turned, walking silently back to his desk.

He did not miss Marinette's quiet whisper as he was sitting, that heavy feeling settling in their chests to stay.

"She was lying…"

* * *

The entire school day that Thursday had been quiet, Adrien unable to shake his anxious unease. He went from class to class, sometimes able to relax and do his work, but whenever his hand would drift over to add to his second set of notes he would pause.

More than once Adrien had stood in front of the unused hallway on the second floor, students milling around him to get to lunch or their other classes.

His attempts to speak with Ms. Bustier further had been cut short, and eventually he was forced to mind his own business. Still though, at random points in the day the empty seat beside him would catch his eye and he would hesitate, before looking forward again.

When he went home that night the stack of notes set neatly aside on Nino's desk had doubled, and when every student had gone and the day had finally ended, they were lifted quietly from their place.

Caline Bustier looked through the pages silently, lifting one after the other in the emptiness of her room. She found them carefully made, many of the words altered or replaced but the concepts remaining the same. Along the margins of every page were small definitions, extras that were added in to make them easier for someone just starting out to understand.

She ran her thumb over one of the sentences, crowded near the bottom. It was a little note that Adrien had added in, it read simply, "If this doesn't make sense ask! I can maybe explain this one better."

After a while, having read every extra effort and looked through every line, she slowly set the pages back on the table, straightening them in their place.

This.

This is what they were trying to teach.

Caline moved away from their desk, her hand raising slowly to her face as she turned away. She stood apart from him but her heart was with a cowering young boy, and she wondered at herself how she could just keep teaching after having seen him.

He had hidden from her when she first went to see him, the only covered space in the darkness beneath his bed. She could hear the creature whining and despite how kind and eager Carter had always been to see her he had guarded the bed, darting to it the second he was freed from the door and standing against her. He did not attack or growl, but it had been clear that she was not allowed to advance.

She had spoken gently for hours, hiding herself in her glamour in a desperate attempt to put him at ease. It was made clear to her right away that he had lost the ability to speak all together, and her heart had broken to hear him cry.

She wasn't sure if he heard anything she had said. Or if she had ever said anything that could help him.

The statistics about these things terrified her, but she had been so hopeful. He was trying so desperately hard, he was the bravest child she had ever met, doing his absolute best. He had hidden in numbness for as long as he could, but he hadn't made it far. Eventually he lapsed, and it was clear he was terrified it was forever. She had spent her time assuring him it was natural, it wasn't permanent, that it was okay.

She knew that in all likelihood she would spend tonight repeating herself, bringing him food he would not eat. Or maybe, he would be gone by the time she returned to check on him.

She had left the door open, and the path from the school unlocked.

It was his right to run if he wanted to, to come and go when he was ready and willing. But she looked with clouded eyes to the dutiful notes waiting on his desk and she prayed that he was there. She prayed he was brave for just a little while more. Because it could be better, she knew that, she knew he could be okay. They were learning, her students... They could learn about each other, and themselves and everything else. Or perhaps she gave herself too much credit, and she was reminded of something she had mentioned to Nino as he was strong enough to let her lead him.

Children were incredibly kind. It was something she believed, knowing that in them they had a grand capacity to understand and forgive. She could see it in Adrien's face, how his shoulders fell when she turned him away. His compassion for a stranger… the effort in his small actions… she knew he wasn't alone. That the others could and _would_ do the same. And as she stood in her room and tried to steady herself she held on to that thought, and put faith into the kindness of children.

Perhaps they could say something she couldn't.


End file.
